Fullmetal Exorcist
by phantomdare1
Summary: A year has gone since the day Allen left the Order by force and some believe he left for good. But Edward Elric and his brother will disprove all doubts the Order holds. Here comes the Silver Shield, the Order's second stronghold. AUFMA, slightAUDGM
1. Inspector Mustang

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 1- Inspector Mustang**

* * *

_A weary hand reaches abstractly to a white glistening moon that glitters behind the bars that traps its prisoner. He screamed out in pain as a brutal dug into his stomach causing the poor boy to expectorate more blood._

_Then the door flung opened, and his assaulters stopped dead frozen. A man's fierce onyx eyes were wide with terror the scene, and his hair rustled in the wind that blew from the barred window. The man reached into his pocket where a white glove lay, and he slipped it on._

_The masked assaulters and the gloved man had a conversation, but the prisoner was far too tired to hear. Only a single sentence got to his system._

_"To torture a child at his prime age is extremely unacceptable!!"_

_He then snapped his fingers. The prisoner looked up as the five people who beat him to the floor were immediately sizzling in the hot flames. The heat stung his wounds. The strange man then knelt down and carried him._

_"Don't worry." He said. "You'll be fine."_

* * *

The Headquarters of the Black Order were as bustling as ever. Scientists were running about flailing wildly and demanding that they must see the Captain of the Science Division immediately. Finders were adding into the mess by chasing after a stray cat that got into the building by accident. And two or three Exorcists were busy carrying bulky machines for the Science Team. This came from the eyes of a newcomer and his assistant as they walked on the first floor. The former looked to the latter, who nodded in agreement as they climbed the stairs to the Supervisor's office.

Surprisingly, unlike most days, the workload of paperwork was not a mountainous, much to the relief of many. But at this time, Komui Lee decided to take a quick nap on his desk, more like deep sleep, actually. His white beret was slumped beside his head, which was resting upon the dark walnut surface. His glasses were falling off slightly, and his mouth was gaping open.

The two new strangers did not know what to do with their sleeping comrade and they stood there for a few minutes. Immediately a soft choke came from Komui as he woke up from his sleep in cold sweat, looking wildly at his desk. He then noticed the two people before him, noticing that they had been watching him the entire time.

"Oh… my apologies…" Komui sweatdropped.

"It's fine," said the tallest stranger. "My assistant has the same habits."

Komui could hear a slight scowl from the other. Never mind that, he needed to get down to business.

"Ah, yes, and I had received a letter of your arrival, sir," Komui began, straightening his lopsided glasses at the same time. "However, you had not elaborated on why you had requested to come."

"I'm sure it is rather obvious, Supervisor Komui," the taller man said. "Since Inspector Leverrier is on leave, I will be taking his place."

The man could see Komui stiffen, but then he smiled.

"I see," Komui backed up his smiled with a sense of gratitude. "Come on! We don't have to be so formal if we know each other!"

"Of course," the man nodded. "And-"

He spun on his heel and saw that his assistant had gone. Komui was rather surprised himself at how well the younger stranger was at slipping away.

"Mind you, but," the man stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself. "My student never obeys me quite easily, and he likes to wander."

The man was definitely a contrast to Inspector Leverrier. His short hair was a black like ebony, his eyes as dark as onyx. As in attire, he wore a clean white dress shirt and a blue necktie to go with it, a gray vest upon this, black slacks, and a navy blue overcoat. If Leverrier's theme was crimson, the man's theme would have been blue.

"It's been awhile, Marshall Mustang," Komui stood up from his desk. The man smiled back.

"Inspector Roy Mustang, Komui, Inspector." The man corrected. "But Marshall's fine. It's been awhile since my promotion, hasn't it?"

* * *

"Ugh… this sucks…" Mustang's assistant meandered throughout the confusing halls of the headquarters. "First the stupid train ride, and now this."

His long blond hair was tied into a hasty ponytail, tucked under the dark red hood of his favorite red long coat, depicting his teacher's personal insignia on the back. Under his coat he wore a dark black dress shirt and black slacks along with black military boots. His eyes were of a steely golden shade, showing his rebellious nature even at a single glance. His small yet stocky stature continued in his life even at seventeen.

"Hm… I wonder if Al's okay…"

It wasn't long before he was pushed back on his back from crashing into another teenager, who fell back with an "oomph!"

"Ugh… Hey! Watch where you're going!" the first complained as the person he crashed into got onto his knees. His vibrantly red hair was kept up by a green head band. He had only one eye visible, the other covered by an eyepatch. The blond recognized this boy as an Exorcist, judging by the black and red uniforms.

"Ehehe… sorry," the boy said cheekily. "Didn't see you there for a moment."

"Are you implying that I'm short?" the blond growled in a low voice, venom dripping in every word.

"NO! Not at all!" the redhead defied the idea, despite the fact he had an urge to call someone a beansprout. "Just that I tend to crash into people a lot of times!"

"Fine." The blond got up to his feet, and watched the other get up as well.

"Never seen you around here before," the redhead began for a pleasant conversation. "You new?"

"You could say that…"

"Anyways, I'm Lavi, and nice to meet you!" Lavi immediately stuck out his hand before the blond.

"Edward Elric, but Ed's fine." The blond smiled. Maybe this won't be so bad at all. Just as long as Master doesn't screw the rest of his day like this evening.

"Anyways," Lavi smiled. "I was intending on grabbing a bite from the dining hall. You've just missed dinner session. Wanna come?"

Ed was rather curious at what the cafeteria had to offer, so he agreed to follow.

* * *

"Oi! Lenalee! Yuu-chan!! You see, Ed. This is the cafeteria. That grumpy guy over there is Yuu and…"

A teenage girl with dark emerald hair looked up and saw her Bookman friend approach with a blond stranger. A man with dark blue hair in a ponytail immediately popped a vein.

"Call me by that name again, and I'll slice your bunny ears off, idiot rabbit."

"Now now," Lavi teased. "You've said that a million times already, and nothing's happened yet. So I get to call you that as much as I want!"

"Oh, I'm not letting you get away with it this time-" Kanda was about to draw his Mugen when the blond caught his hand.

"Hey, I don't like watching fights, and I don't like to break them, either." Edward said rather plainly. "Put it away, or I'll do it for you."

"And what gives the right to say that?" Kanda growled. Edward's golden eyes narrowed in frustration. This guy's just like Master.

"Just. Put. It. Down." Edward paused between every word, putting more emphasis and more hints of malice within the pauses. Kanda reluctantly put away his sword, suddenly wondering why this blonde's actions just now were familiar…

"Hello, Edward," A voice came from the green haired girl. "I'm Lenalee."

"Ah, thanks." Ed nodded politely. "I'm Edward Elric. Please, I prefer 'Ed.'"

"Che," Kanda snorted. "Just like the beansprout."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BEANSPROUT!!!"

Lavi sweatdropped at the sight. The whole time, Ed was much calmer, but then he exploded at certain times… Lenalee and Kanda were shocked themselves.

"Wow!" Lavi smiled. "What a live wire!"

"Just don't call me short…" Ed calmed down immediately.

"Well, I need to go bring brother his nightly coffee," Lenalee smiled and took a tray of five coffee cups from the cook. Kanda merely "che'd" and left the scene. The two boys left stayed behind in silence until…

"Lavi!!" Johnny, a scientist was racing to the two. He noticed Ed. "You're Edward Elric, aren't you?"

"Yes…" Ed answered.

"Well, the Supervisor wishes to see you."

"Um… and where exactly is that room? I got lost on the way from his office."

Lavi palmed his face. _Wow. He even gets lost easily like Allen…_

* * *

"Thanks, Johnny!" Ed closed the door behind him and saw his boss and Komui again.

"Did you have a good time on your afternoon stroll, Fullmetal?" Roy smirked. Ed snorted defiantly.

"Don't need to tell you, Master."

Komui then cleared his throat, gaining their attention. "Uh, shall we get on with this?"

"Ah, yes," Roy nodded and turned to Ed. "Fullmetal, like I said earlier, we'll be staying here."

"We've been through that five times already," Ed raised an eyebrow. "I don't need another briefing about it."

Roy smirked. "All right then, someone will take you to your room shortly."

The door opened again, and Lavi entered the room.

"Komui, you called?"

"Ah," Komui smiled. "Can you take Edward here to his room."

"Um… which one?"

"The guest rooms."

"Oh… those rooms." Lavi then slung arm on Ed's shoulder as if they had been friends for years. "Kay Ed! Let's get going!"

"Huh?" Ed didn't realized he was already forced to race out of the room, his feet unable to take a step. "Wait! Stop dragging me! I'm not your personal puppet!"

* * *

"Here's your room!" Lavi smiled sheepishly. "I hope you get a good night's sleep 'cause tomorrow you'll be getting a grand tour of the Order!"

"That's nice to hear, now can you leave?" Ed headed for his bed and sat down just when the door closed. The walls were whitewashed and a spare bookshelf was left in the far corner of the room. Beside it was a small wooden desk complete with a chair, a fountain pen, and a pack of paper for writing. A dresser stood opposite. Ed sighed as he reached for the large suitcase that had been delivered in his room earlier.

"Hope Al added a wrench in it," He muttered to himself, searching for the lock. "My arm's killing me. Wonder if Winry's still around by any chance…"

Winry Rockbell was one of the scientists of the Science Division, specializing in automail, an artificial limb structure that she and Captain Reever developed. Ed and Winry had close bonds, despite their rocky relationship, but that was because Ed was only able to stop by once a month, under discreet disguise, of course.

He then took a deep breath as he clapped his hands together and a heavenly hum resonated in the room. He then placed them on the lock of the suitcase, which obediently opened for the owner following a crack of blue electricity. Ed lifted the lid, and much to his annoyance, no wrench. He took out the stack of books he carried from his room in Central and sorted them into the bookshelf. He then set his clothes neatly in the dresser. Roy had to pound it in his head to be a tad more polite and a lot neater.

As much as he hated his boss, he very much was grateful, anyways. Had it not been for Mustang, Ed would still have been in the dungeons of Central, left for dead because his Innocence contradicted the concept of God. He was deprived of his arm and leg as further torture. Those were probably the most horrible days of his life.

Yes, his and his brother's Innocence, was deemed an act of playing God. Luckily, he hid his brother away before they could catch him, leaving himself open. However, he would still be traumatized even after torture. And Mustang adopted him and Alphonse as his own children, training them to use their Innocence for better means. Ed was supplied with fake limbs, called automail. The Science Division developed it years ago under secrecy behind Central, and Roy took advantage of his connections with the scientists.

He remembered the secret meeting Roy had set up for him and Al, to get their names registered as Exorcists without others knowing. He remembered the titles he and his brother received: Fullmetal, and the Soul-Weaver, respectively. They were grateful for Hevlaska's kindness, for she kept their instance of finally reaching Critical Point in synchronization a deep secret.

But then a year later, Ed and Al were able to show their faces freely, since a new pope rose to power, and Roy Mustang regained his credibility in a higher position in Central. They continued with more traveling and training, even meeting some other Exorcists along the way.

The most significant one was two, actually. He had forgotten their names, but he remembered the taller was an adult with red hair and half of an opera mask. The other was a young boy with snow white hair, unnatural for a ten-year old, and a strange scar running down his face.

Ed, Al, and that boy shared worthwhile times together, and that was the time when they really felt like normal children, despite their obscurities. But just how long will he experience a moment like that again? Possibly never, if he could recall.

He settled in his bed as he grabbed a book from his bookshelf and flipped to the place where he left off. He remembered that since his Innocence was based off of the ancient art of alchemy, he supposed that he should read books about the mysterious art should it enhance his abilities.

"Hm… transmutation circles…" Ed muttered, and he used his finger to trace the lines of the elaborate circle. Al would be coming very soon, tomorrow, maybe. He didn't know.

Then again, maybe this actual trip to the Order wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

We transition to a pristinely clean laboratory, where a teenage girl is busily polishing her tools vigorously. Her blond hair is tied into a ponytail. Under her white lab coat was a black tank top, and a pine green miniskirt.

Roy Mustang stood opposite the girl in the room. The girl shook her head in woe.

"Why does he break his automail every single time he comes back!?" She sighed, propping a clean wrench on the wall.

"Well, you know how he works," Roy smirked. "He loves to beat the hell out of the Akuma if they try to gnaw his leg off."

"Typical Ed," the girl turned to checking her welding torch, as the blue flame seemed normal and she switched it off.

"Have fun pummeling him, then." Roy walked off to the door. "Just not now. He won't like it if you wake him at 3 in the morning. But still, have fun, Winry."

The door closed, and Winry sighed again. At least she gets another chance to see the blond boy before he sets off again. She couldn't help but blush at the thought.

**A/N: So... this is my first DGM/FMA Xover... but this is only a trial chapter, so that means it won't be updated really quickly. Just gotta fill in a few more plotholes and finish the other stories before settling to this one. So, if you love this story and want me to get to it right away, then review, it's just one click, a few words, and another click. pretty easy. Any ideas on where I should take this story are welcome, reviews or PMs, either one. Just the little criteria is that this is AU FMA, and slightly AU DGM. Ed and Roy have their awesome alchemy, just expressed as Innocence, which I'll explain later. Winry is a scientist, and apparently, she was able to survive that part a quarter of those scientists were turned into skulls or were killed. Al is Ed's brother, as usual, and it seems that they didn't perform human transmutation, but Ed lost his arm and leg in torture (curse you, leverrier!) for his alchemy-like Innocence. Roy bursts in Ed's torture chamber and saves the day, not to mention burning up a couple Crow members. I'll elaborate that rescue scene some time later. still, Ed and Al have a sad life. ANyways, review if you love this pilot chapter, and I'll see about it, then.**


	2. The Storyteller

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 2- The Storyteller**

* * *

"Brother!!!"

_Al was sobbing as he watched his brother on the hospital bed, covered heavily in bandages, most of it on his amputated leg and arm. The said boy Al sobbed for turned his head an inch to the side._

_"Al…" Ed hoarsely whispered, and Roy cleared his throat, which had gone dry after numerous rounds of shouting at Leverrier. Ed turned to the man in the gold and black uniform._

_"Who… are you?"_

_"Marshall Roy Mustang, if you want it full," the man frowned. A blond haired woman with hair was pinned up by a barrette looked at the man beside her._

_"And this," Roy motioned to the woman. "Is Riza Hawkeye. She is my assistant. You are going to my students, the two of you. However, it's better you be considered as my sons."_

_Ed and Al were widely shocked. Were they really going to have their own home?_

* * *

Lavi was quite curious about Ed. Apparently, he had forgotten to ask where Ed came from, so he probably should ask when they meet. He made his way to the hall, and found Ed and the same man in the office eating at the tables. Quickly getting his order, Lavi decided to take a seat right next to Ed.

"Hey there, Ed!" Lavi smiled sheepishly. "How was your sleep?"

"Fine, thanks," Ed smiled, and the black haired man opposite him smirked.

"Made a friend already, Fullmetal?"

"Oh, be quiet, Master," Ed scowled, and Lavi looked from Ed, who was busy eating again, and the other, who was still staring triumphantly.

"You're his student?" Lavi asked. Ed looked up swallowing the omelet he ordered.

"Yeah, pretty much," Ed went back to eating. Lavi then looked at the man again.

"So who are you?"

"Inspector Roy Mustang, at your service," the man smirked, and Lavi's eyes widened, and he shook Ed furiously.

"Why didn't you tell me that your master was an Inspector?! Worse enough, from Central?!"

"We just met for four hours, and you expect me to tell you?!" Ed raised an eyebrow. "At least Master used to be a Marshall. Just got promoted to Inspector two years."

"A Marshall?!" Lavi jumped. "You were an Exorcist?!"

"Correct," Roy smiled. "I got promoted and here I am."

"I remember hearing the name in the records of Exorcists," Lavi looked at the two. "However, you disappeared from the face of the Earth for a whole seven years, too."

"Are you a Bookman?" Roy looked at the redhead inquisitively. Lavi gasped at the man's knowledge, despite the fact that he had not told the man his name or title. He was in a sticky position now! Where was the old panda when he needed him?!

"Moron, what have you been doing?" the voice of Bookman finally soothed Lavi.

"Perfect Timing, Gramps," Lavi whispered for the elderly Bookman to hear. Then once Bookman and Roy Mustang exchanged looks, they paled at recognition.

"Roy Mustang?"

"B-B-Bookman?"

Bookman looked at Lavi, as if saying, _What did you do?_

Lavi shrugged, "You know him?"

"Of course." Bookman continued to look at the other man. "Marshall Mustang was a prominent Exorcist before he got promoted to Inspector and began working directly for the Vatican."

"But doesn't that take a long time? To get promoted? And why are the records-" Lavi's curiosity went too far when the old man immediately slapped his apprentice.

"Fool! It is of Bookman business! You dare to speak of it!?"

"Ow! That hurt a lot, you old panda!"

Lavi then received another blow, and he comically made an etching of a fallen man on the floor, causing Ed and Roy to sweatdrop. Ed sighed and then got up from the table to help Lavi up.

"Ever heard of basic decency, Lavi?"

"Well… uh…" Lavi tried to change the subject. "Well, let's go on to the next topic, shall we?! I said I'd take you on a tour, so come on!"

Ed was dragged off again at a hundred miles per hour, and he ranted very loudly. "I'M NOT YOUR PERSONAL PUPPET!!! AND I CAN WALK BY MYSELF!!!"

Roy sighed. "Still needs to work on temper. Al will be arriving very soon…"

"I see that our apprentices have gotten along quickly, no?" Bookman took a seat opposite Roy. "How should I address you? Inspector? Or Marshall? Or your prophecy title, Flames of Wrath?"

"Just Roy, no need for formalities," Roy took a sip from his warm cup of tea. "Ed's brother is coming to join us in our investigations."

"I forgot what for… You recall?"

Roy's eyebrows knitted themselves in thought. "I said I was here to keep you all in check, but I'm here to investigate on the disappearance of… Allen Walker."

"Be careful with what you say, Mustang," Bookman frowned. "That name has become a taboo of sorts. They've got golems almost everywhere. You never know if you get dragged off by CROW agents, even if you're an inspector, I'd doubt they'd be any lenient for you. Address the boy as beansprout, as codename."

Roy sweatdropped. _Why… a beansprout? Couldn't there be a cooler codename than that…?_

"Anyways," Roy Mustang cleared his throat. "A certain person told me that getting out of my isolation shell from the Order would do me some good, suggested that I get on a hunt for the… bean… sprout. Strange enough, my co-worker Leverrier went missing at the same time the boy disappeared."

"That is an understatement," Bookman shook his head. "My lousy apprentice and his friends recount that the poor boy was dragged out of the headquarters publicly. It didn't mean well for Komui, especially in the eyes of his younger sister. Went so far, Central had to wipe her memories."

Roy frowned at the thought, and set the porcelain teacup down. "Been awhile since I really involved myself with you people, you know. It's even shocking that Komui still remembers me, let alone you, Bookman."

"Well, what do you expect from a Bookman with an ancient memory?"

"Nothing less, I suppose."

Bookman bowed his head slightly. "Have you any leads?"

"No, not yet," Roy's mind was buzzing with possibilities. "I've volunteered to come here myself, since Leverrier went missing. Everyone at Central says he's on a long term project."

"It's hard enough for you already," Bookman tapped his finger on the table as a habit. "Your apprentice had once been condemned of heresy, and you yourself had been considered nearly an outlaw. You've even been nearly erased from history documents. Be grateful that your position as Inspector is equal to that of Leverrier's, otherwise, you won't get anything done."

"I know that." Roy nodded. "But I should be in the books by now, since they had forgiven me and allowed me to start fresh again as Inspector."

"How's the work, anyways?" Bookman asked casually. "Missing out on any paperwork, have you?"

"Not like they know," Roy smirked. "They've forgotten the properties of my Innocence. Well, I have my own office, of course, but it's in a separate facility, in a rather busy town in Britain."

"How about your subordinates?" Bookman curiously inquired. "Surely, Leverrier wouldn't allow you to get your hands on some authority on some CROW agents, no?"

"Got that right," Roy frowned in response. "But… I've managed to get in contact with some exceptional Finders, doctors and scientists from the Order worldwide. I recruited them and formed my own little organization. Pretty sophisticated, if you think of it, but it's still rather small. The Finders I have are well trained, and I'll bet you that they'll take on a CROW anytime, even without spells."

"What a chivalrous thing to say," Bookman commented. "You trust your subordinates' power that much?"

"Believe me," Roy laughed. "They're as tough as they come."

"As for the Doctor's concerns?"

"I have a couple of them recommended by Matron." Roy sipped from his beverage. "But Edward's brother, Alphonse, is quite an exceptional Exorcist. The two brothers have almost identical forms of Innocence, but Alphonse's seems to be directed to medical purposes. It pitches in a whole lot to Central, even Leverrier was impressed."

"I see." Bookman looked at the empty teacup where the tea leaves had arranged themselves strangely in a way that looked like a pair of eyes. He wondered what omen might come…

* * *

Ed was having a rather pleasant time. He met a whole lot of people, Exorcists and Scientists alike. He met Miranda, a clumsy that could reverse time temporarily; Marie, a blind man who used strings to take down Akuma; Krory, a vampire-like man who was very melodramatic; Chaoji, a brave exorcist with an extremely strong hand grip, much to Ed's horror; Reever, the captain of the entire Science Division, but Ed knew him, since Reever was the developer of his automail; and Bak, who was visiting, and he was the director of the Asian branch.

However, he, in fact, saw very little people in the halls normally. He urged himself to ask why, but he couldn't bring himself to. He shouldn't be barging into others' lives. Heck, he wasn't best friends with them just yet.

"All right, here's the final destination, the library." Lavi sighed. Ed was rather astounded by the massive amount of books. Plus, it was very quiet. Al would love to be here.

"Okay, then," Lavi pointed to a table where a stack of scrolls were, along with two chairs. "Take a seat. It'll be easier for me to do my work and talk with you at the same time."

"Multi-tasker?"

"You bet."

Once they were settled, Lavi began to search through a book. Ed waited patiently for Lavi to begin a conversation. Nothing? Fine. He'll start it himself, then.

"Lavi?"

"Hm?"

"When we mentioned a beansprout," Ed started. "And that Kanda guy wasn't so happy… Who was that beansprout?"

Ed saw Lavi's hand hesitate over the end of the parchment, and he set his fountain pen down. Lavi's only green eye looked up at the golden ones with uneasiness, and the redheaded Exorcist took a deep breath before setting his hands calmly on the table.

"I shouldn't be telling anything to you about that."

"Oi, why not?" Ed urged. Lavi rolled his eyes.

"No."

"What if I said that I'm an official from Central?"

"You are?" Lavi raised an eyebrow. "I mean, this stuff is pretty confidential. Heck, I'm not even allowed to let you see me work."

"Sure, and look at what you're doing."

"Touché…" Lavi smiled. " All right. I'll tell, but it's strictly confidential. Don't tell your… uh… 'Master…' about it."

Lavi received a frank nod and he began to think.

"That beansprout was a very good friend of ours… Well… he was short, so Yuu and I called him a beansprout, and he had the same reactions like you did when we called him that…"

"Is he dead?" Ed asked.

"We don't know. It's been awhile…"

"Okay then, if you tell really good stories," Ed laid back on his chair. "Why don't we keep spending the last hour of morning hearing you?"

Lavi smirked, and he began to think. Finally, after taking another deep breath, he then looked up again.

"The beansprout that we speak of," Lavi began in a more formal tone. "Was an Exorcist, like Yuu and me. Like I said before, he was a good friend. His name was Allen Walker."

Ed was rather excited of what Lavi was going to tell him.

"Allen Walker, deemed the Destroyer of Time by Hevlaska, the Guardian of the Cube of Innocence. As in opinionated terms, he was very kind, always polite with everyone he meets, with the exception of his master, Cross Marian."

Ed had heard of General Cross before. He had heard mentions of the famous Exorcist. So the general had a student. Probably he was just as brutal as Izumi and Roy combined… ugh…

"Allen was considered a parasite-type in his type of Innocence. To be exact, his arm was his Innocence…."

So the storytelling of Allen's journey throughout his career as a prominent Exorcist continued. Lavi recounted every single detail, and it seemed to Ed as if he were reading a really good book. Then when the details came to the time when Allen was considered the host for the 14th, Ed felt rather sorry for the boy.

"Then came last year, when tragedy struck us. Leverrier ordered CROW to take Allen away and to Central for further questioning. Worse enough, they didn't tell him, and he was seized in the middle of the hall. Of course, Allen fought back, but he eventually lost. Lenalee was devastated, as you had seen already, and as for the rest of us… we were ordered never to speak of Allen's name, so it was considered taboo. And Allen never came back.

"It's harder now for the Order to get anything done, now without Allen being around to give a hand… Kanda's been more polite… at some times… Komui actually decided to work to decrease his mountain of papers for once.

"Lenalee, however, was a different case. She nearly went insane when Link said that Leverrier took Allen away. She started doing all the depressive things imaginable… like… cutting… Miranda had to slap her to snap her out of it… I remember her moping a whole bunch of times… Kanda's scolding didn't help at all, neither did anyone else's… And then there was the time when she was reading this book… Something about bringing humans back to life or something-"

"Back to life?!" Ed jumped out of his seat in horror. "What was the name of that book?!"

"Marcoh's Theory of Alchemy." Lavi said plainly. He saw Ed tremble, then shake his head scornfully and settle back down to his seat. Lavi tilted his head slightly to ask why he was doing that.

"Err… sorry. Please go on." Ed returned to his normal posture.

"Well… Komui was so horrified that she was reading that book, he had to pitch in the most… it got so bad, Central had to do something to her… She was gone for a day, but she came back with barely any memory of what happened. She remembers everything, but she doesn't remember that Allen was there. We had attempted to get her to remember, but CROW has too much of a big hold on her for us to help. Komui said no because he felt that it was better for her to not got through such agony, even if it means she will remember one less important person in her life. You see, Central will do anything for people to give up on Allen. Scary, isn't it?

"We've changed… But now… a year gone since the day and some of us believe Allen left us for good. We've nearly forgotten what his voice was like, and even what he looked like."

Ed thought for a moment. So this Allen Walker… was so much like him and Al. They had lost loving parents, and they had tried to bring them back, resulting in a horrible experience of pain. Allen had been cursed to see the mangled souls of Akuma and been tied to the fate of perpetual suffering because of his status as a half-Noah. Ed was condemned as heresy upon the discovery of his failure of human transmutation with his amplified Innocence that nearly broke critical point. And here he was, with fake limbs to compensate. Even though it felt normal, Ed still rather liked to have his actual body parts back, not steel machines.

"Well… you know…" Lavi smiled. "I'm betting that he'll come back to us someday. Even if interrogation sounds this bad, I'm sure he'll get through it. Heck, he's already vowed that he won't become the 14th."

"For someone who seems sad after losing a friend," Ed smirked. "You seem confident he'll come back, even for a year. You haven't lost any hope?"

"Actually, it's something that keeps all of us working normally." Lavi's smile fell. "Thinking this way prevents us from beating ourselves up. Had we been normal people, not Exorcists, the Earl would have used us if we kept our sorrow clinging publicly. But we know we're preventing at least one less Akuma from being born, so we'll just keep moving forward."

"What words for the wise, Lavi," Ed smiled. "Sometimes, you sound like my brother…"

"Really?" Lavi smiled. "Then help yourself here. We're welcome to have you be with us at the Order. You're an Exorcist, right?"

"Me?" Ed snorted. "I don't know too much about that. I guess so, since Master was a Marshall before. Still, he pisses me off."

"Wow… the way you saw his name sounds like Allen talking about his own master…" Lavi sweatdropped. "But… I really do want to know what's your Innocence…"

Ed then looked up at the dark ceiling. Was he really an Exorcist? Sure, he had Innocence within his entire body, to be exact. He's not a Second Exorcist Project remnant, but he was deemed a heretic once. Just once. Roy had to burn all records of that for Ed to get a better life. He enjoyed working at Central for a year or two with Roy and his kind subordinates, who were top-notch Finders in the Order a long time ago…

As a matter of fact, considering the truth about politics, Roy's department in Central was probably the only one that was free of corruption or any connection to the Leverrier family. His brother had qualified for Exorcist membership, and so did he himself. But he hasn't really done much… Heck, it already freaked him out that his Golden eyes could scare the tar out of many Central units, since he was also suspected of Noah, but no evidence was really true. After that, no one really was scared of him.

He then noticed a concerned Lavi. He raised an unsure eyebrow.

"Oi. What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"You're from Central, too, right?" Lavi set down his fountain pen, looking intently at the golden haired boy, who nodded. The color returned to Lavi's face as he closed his eyes understandingly.

"I see," Lavi started to write again. "Just be careful, since you're from Central. I think Lenalee probably knows by now, if Komui happened to meet her, so she might not be too happy about you being around. Even if she's brain-washed, she still remembers that she had been tortured by Leverrier when she was younger. Anyways, you staying here from now on?"

"Dunno." Ed flipped through one of the books Lavi had already finished reading. "I think it's permanent, since Colonel said that my is coming to stay. I might stay longer since my mechanic lives here."

"Mechanic?" Lavi wondered. "What for?"

"Oh, she's just going to help me fix some things… I stop here once every month, you know…" Ed kept vague about his arm and leg. "It's a rather delicate subject."

"When is your brother coming?"

"Some time soon… tonight is the earliest time."

"Well, come on," Lavi got up. "We've got dinner. And did I mention that Allen liked to eat a lot?"

"How much?"

"Oh, he'll a whole month's worth of lunches in one meal, three times a day, with some snacks in between. Since he was a parasite-type, he needed to eat lots, anyway. His favorite was mitarashi dango."

"Maybe I should try that some time…" Ed smiled.

* * *

Lunch came, and Ed and Lavi were deep in conversation randomly about dango. Surprisingly, they met the two absent Exorcists, Lenalee and Kanda.

"Hey, Lenalee!" Lavi smiled as he set his food on the table. "Heard you nearly got pummeled by Akuma today. You better now?"

"Yeah…" Lenalee put on a bright smile, showing her bandaged arms. "I'm not that weak!"

"Of course not," Kanda snorted. "Just how is that possible?"

"Well… Maybe-" Ed was going to add in when a large wrench hit his head. His face fell onto the plate of food before him, and Lavi and Lenalee couldn't help but laugh. Ed then got up, groaning, when someone grabbed the scruff of his neck. Immediately, golden eyes met sapphire blue. For a teenage girl of seventeen, she was pretty attractive. Her hair was a bright blond color, tied into a ponytail. She wore a white lab coat, a black tank top, and a dark blue miniskirt.

"H-Hi… Winry…" Ed tried to keep a straight face, when Winry then set him down again.

"How many times did I remind not to break your automail!?" She scowled and was ready to throw the wrench again. Lavi sweatdropped, but he began to wonder… What exactly did automail mean?

"You're going to break it even more if you toss me down the Eiffel Tower," Ed massaged his sore right arm. "I was hoping you would notice that I was here. My arm's killing me!"

Winry then softened as she walked over to Ed, and she held out her hand.

"Hurry up and eat then," Winry smiled warmly. "Just don't eat too much just yet. I have an apple pie waiting for you at my lab."

"Thanks, Winry," Ed smiled and he retreated to his spot with Lavi as the other joined her scientist friends.

"So Winry is your mechanic?" Lavi whispered. Ed nodded. "She's a hottie. Strike! For you~~~~… You should ask her out some time."

Ed turned an amusing shade of red. "What makes you imply that?!"

"You know… the beansprout and Lenalee used to be situations like this." Luckily, Lavi was whispering, and Ed rolled his eyes. Lenalee looked at the two skeptically.

"What beansprout?" She asked. Ed ignored her question and looked annoyed at Lavi.

"How many times are you going to compare me to that guy?!"

* * *

Roy Mustang spent a great amount of time with Bookman searching through records and documents. Just a single clue that Lavi had written, and that was all he needed. He still remembered what Cross had requested. After all, he the Flames of Wrath was the one who had to help Cross out of the bloody window during the attempted murder.

_Cross placed a hand on the box of cigars. "My idiot pupil won't be faring well at this point. Keep a watch on him."_

_"You're such an idiot, Cross," Roy shook his head scornfully. "You nearly died from that wound. Be grateful that I had Innocence along, and it wasn't raining. Your wound was so bad, it reminds of that time with the Akuma with the scary fingernails. Horrible lady. Nearly killed me, Havoc, and Riza in one hit."_

_"No problem," Cross smiled. "Well, seems that hiding is the best decision. I'm pretty useless without Judgment. Grave of Maria would help, but not so much…"_

_"You do know that Walker has been proclaimed heresy after that Timothy's arrival to the Order, right?"_

_"Yeah… He'll come out of it fine." Cross shook if off dismissively. "He's been through worse than that."_

_"I highly doubt it." Roy flipped through a book that Bookman happened to send to him. "That Lenalee Lee I saw one time, she nearly committed suicide from the horrible torture she went through! It was a miracle that she'd live!"_

_"Never mind that," Cross rolled his eyes. "Just bring me some wine."_

_"One bottle only," Roy rolled his eyes. "I'd have burnt you right here right now if you were an Akuma."_

_"That's what everyone says," Cross smiled jokingly."And by the way, I have a favor to ask of you."_

_"Fire away," Roy didn't bother looking up from sorting a couple books on the shelf_

_"Can you look for my idiot pupil for me?"_

_Roy froze and then looked at his friend._

_"You know I'm already putting my life on the line trying to get back to the Order with my 'heretic' students, right?"_

_"Easy says, easy goes," Cross rolled his eyes. "Just look for him."_

_"For someone who only cares about women," Roy joked. "It's rare that you care for your student."_

_"It's not normal, yes," Cross looked out the window. "Just that he's crucial to this Holy War. He will be the one who ends it."_

A knock on the door made Roy jump. Bookman turned around patiently, watching the door as if he were playing a staring contest.

"Who is it?" Roy asked boldly.

"It's me, Master!" A soft gentle voice belonging to a boy rang through. "Alphonse!"

**A/N: Okay, then, here's chapter numbah two! As I said before, this will be a rather slow update until summer vacation, or perhaps spring break or my standardized testing week, comes. I'll probably be requesting ideas for filler missions and all to help our crossed over characters here "bond." I'm including special adaptions of the Cornello and Lior incident as a mission along with Shou Tucker. I'm trying to implement the FMA mini stories into this. But, probably like right now, I guess I'll leave an open for OC missions, like make up the missions of the sort. I need one for Kanda and Al, Chaoji and Ed... something like that. Roy will not be in these OC missions, since he claims he's "too good" for these things, apparently. Well, I think a chapter somewhere, I'll elaborate Allen's dissappearance as a sad flashback, when Lenalee remembers, which will obviously happen (come on, it's classic. she's got to remember someday!). I won't tell how just yet. So any ideas for missions including Kanda and Al; Chaoji, Lenalee, and Ed; maybe Krory and Ed, or Al; Miranda and one of the elric brothers and Lavi... any of those, pleas tell me, and I'll see where I can stick it in. See ya later!**


	3. To Put It Short

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 3- To Put It Short**

* * *

_"So… your Innocence is alchemy, right, kid?"_

_Ed nodded obediently at Roy Mustang. Al helped Ed into his wheelchair. A week has passed since his rescue. He was visited by not only his brother, Roy, and Hawkeye, but also other curious people._

_Kain Fury, a young German man who hated to fight, like Al. He taught Ed about many things, such as origami, which he picked on an ambassador's mission in Kyoto._

_The next was Jean Havoc, once a lieutenant of the French military until he lost the power to move his legs from a shattered spine. Apparently, it was eventually repaired, thanks to Al and his extensive knowledge of alkahestry, and Havoc proved to be very valuable to Roy's team unit. He once tried to make Ed start smoking, but Riza immediately threatened Havoc at gunpoint, literally._

_Next was Breda, a French scientist who was very talented at artillery wielding. Al and Ed enjoyed playing chess with Breda while Ed was going through rehabilitation with his automail._

_Maes Hughes, who could forget him? The happy-go-lucky officer was always around to cheer the Elrics up. He once brought his family to visit. His wife Gracia was a pretty woman, and Elysia, his young daughter was too adorable beyond words._

_Alex Armstrong, a buffy officer for Central's expectations, was sometimes overly flowery, but he still was the second sun for Roy's team, under Maes, of course._

_And then Scar, a Egyptian Finder with abnormally red eyes, but later a trusty subordinate of Roy's, was another good friend for Ed during his time in the infirmary. As much of an antisocial person some say he is, he actually had a soft side for unfortunate children like Ed. So Scar would tell him fascinating stories about his travels with Roy. Ed had many parental figures now, and Scar was one of them._

_Riza Hawkeye turned out to a be a very caring woman, perhaps a mother figure for the brothers. She was also an excellent sharpshooter as well for a Finder, but she was promoted to higher levels afterwards. As for relationship with Roy, they've already discovered that they could be more, but the risk of the Holy War as hindered any progress, but they vowed to marry once the war finishes. If they could, maybe they would adopt the Elrics as their own children, who knows?_

_Either way, Ed learned that not all of Central was bad after all._

* * *

Ed and Lavi made their way to the doors of Winry's lab.

"You know…" Lavi smiled. "I've never been to these parts of the Science Division… I mean, sure, I've seen Winry a couple times… We talk sometimes… I did try to ask her out once, but she said she was taken… I think I'm envious of you, Ed."

"Well, I've been here," Ed kept walking, and he didn't seem to pick up Lavi's words. "Loads of times."

"Then how come I didn't see you?"

"You just don't," Ed hinted vaguely, and the door to the lab opened. Winry discreetly closed the door so no one could see what was inside.

"Lavi…" Winry frowned. "You know you can't come in."

"Okay, then, whatever you say," Lavi waved a hand and decided to lean against the wall outside the lab. "I'll leave you two to your precious alone time."

Ed and Winry blushed, and Lavi ducked from a flying wrench.

"Oi!" He joked to the female scientist. "If your wrench has Innocence, then you should totally become an Exorcist with that wrench!!"

And there went his consciousness for the next two hours.

* * *

It wasn't long before Reever found him and had to wake him up from his concussion. The Science Captain tried to find the cause, but once he saw an imprint of a wrench on Lavi's head, he instantly deadpanned and sighed exasperatedly.

"Winry needs to be a little less rough on Lavi…" he commented, propping Lavi against the wall just when Ed came out of the lab, fixing the white glove on his right hand.

"Hey Edward!" Reever's Australian accent caught Ed off guard.

"Oh, hey, Reever," Ed smiled. Reever looked at Ed's right arm and looked back at him.

"Your automail's okay?"

"Sure. Winry only need to change a few screws, but next time will be a nightmare."

Reever tilted his head. "Why so?"

"She says she's going to give me another model. Sure, it's better and sturdier, but you know how I hate putting arms onto my ports."

"Oh…" Reever paled. "That's going to be a nasty one."

"Ugh…" Lavi woke up, seeing Reever and Ed talking casually. The two noticed him and got him up.

"Hey, Lavi!" Reever smiled. "You kinda pushed Winry off her edge a bit too much, eh?"

"Maybe…" Lavi massaged his forehead, where Ed could still see the wrench's mark.

* * *

Ed had just finish skimming through another book Lavi was reading earlier. During his training with Roy Mustang, he rarely had time to read the "latest" books at the time, so he found it convenient to read them now. He noticed some books whose theories he deemed completely ridiculous, and some that he actually liked. He set a red and blue book on the table just when his golem began to call for him.

"Fullmetal, your brother's here."

"Brother? You mean Al?" Lavi looked up, with immense curiosity. Ed gave an affirmative grin, and they rushed out of their seats, heading to the office immediately.

* * *

Ed was almost at the door just when he was immediately suffocated by a tight hug a boy with dirty blond hair was giving. His eyes were golden brown, a less brighter tint than Ed's, and lot more gentle-looking, too. His clothing was of an Exorcist's uniform, bringing curiosity to Lavi. Maybe this guy was a new Exorcist… but Ed said he and his brother were trained under Mustang for a while… So they're both exorcists… wonder what their Innocence is…

"Brother! Why didn't you wait for me!?" Ed was gasping for breath until Roy decided to break it up.

"Calm down, Alphonse," he said reassuringly. "I'm sure it wasn't on purpose, so don't choke your brother to death."

"So this is your brother?" Lavi looked inquiringly at Al. Ed nodded.

"Did you see Winry yet?"

"Yeah, she fixed it," Ed smiled brightly, waving his right arm, and Al nodded understandingly. Al then looked at Lavi, who then bowed slightly.

"I'm Lavi, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Alphonse…"

Roy then smiled at the little talk, and he cleared his throat.

"An extra bed has been moved to your quarters, Ed. I hope there is enough room for you and Al."

"Don't worry," Al smiled. "We'll be fine."

"All right, then," Lavi smiled. "Shall I do the honors of giving Al a tour?"

"I'll be co-guide," Ed smirked. "So that means…"

The two boys grabbed each of Al's arms.

"Uh… Ed? Lavi…?" Al then panicked as he noticed that the two were ready to take off. "Wait! I'm not even read-"

Too late. They zoomed off into the distances of the halls with a still panicking Al. Roy then wondered something as he turned to Bookman.

"Um… are the kids allowed to run in the halls?"

"Everyone does it anyway." Bookman shrugged. "Besides, the Black Order is not a school. If it were, and Komui were principal, they'd still run in the hallways."

* * *

"Brother…" Al groaned, massaging his sore shoulder. "You didn't need to place a death grip on me if you're giving me tour."

"I'm sure I didn't try to break your shoulder plate, so don't sweat it," Ed smiled. Al raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, then, just don't use the automail next time…"

Automail. There was the word again. What did it mean to Ed, thought Lavi. Postage stamps? Or like chainmail?

"All, right," Lavi smiled. "We're going to stop here at the library."

As expected, Al was amazed at the numerous shelves of information, and he gasped in awe. Ed smiled. So he was correct.

"Ed!" He turned to his older brother. "Are there any alchemy books here?"

"Dunno." Ed smiled. "Didn't check. Yet."

"Now it's twice as better!" Al jumped enthusiastically. Lavi wondered just what exactly Al meant, but then he remembered something.

"Oh, yeah." Lavi jumped in. "You mentioned alchemy, right? Actually, the books right behind my workplace are all about alchemy… Try those."

"Thanks, Lavi!" Al raced off and grabbed the first book off the shelf.

"That's one heck of a brother, if you think so," Ed commented. "He's always eager to try new things. I checked those books yesterday, and turns that I've already read all of them."

"All of them?!" Lavi sweatdropped. "There 200 books on alchemy there! You already read all of them!"

"I read rather quickly," Ed smirked. "Helps me grasp things easily and efficiently."

"Amazing," Lavi smiled. "And I thought I was the only one…"

"For what?"

"Speed reading."

"Ed!" Al called. "There's this really cool book about alkahestry! Come here!"

"Coming, Al!" Ed shouted. Just as he left off, Lavi felt that he was starting to get a bit excited about the alchemy the two brothers mentioned. Maybe that will be his excuse for getting off work for tonight.

* * *

Lenalee was rather lonely. She was still troubled about her memories, which she see so clearly in her dreams. Her time when she helped Miranda take control of her Innocence, her adventures with Lavi and Bookman in Asia in the search for Marshall Cross, the search for Timcampy who had Suman's Innocence, the Ark, and it was magically restored before nearly crumbling like a ceramic mask.

But something was missing… Every single one of those moments, she saw a black space of nothingness, as if blurred from existence. She wondered if it were illusions playing with her mind, but she was sure she saw a person behind that blurred screens.

And that's when she began to forget.

But she was sure that was someone she knew, not a person rowing a boat for her to her checkpoint, even if she didn't remember them anyways. She was sure she was once in love with this person, so he probably was a boy. As for own preferences, that boy must have been very kind, otherwise, she wouldn't have bothered to talk to him.

But then she would forget.

She doesn't remember.

That boy is only a blank blur. He was no one. For now.

"But someday…" She said aloud in her bedroom, her knees tucked under her chin as she leaned against the head board of her bed. "Someday… that will become clear to me… If I could only know his name…"

Timcampy, the golden golem, fluttered solemnly around her head. Ever since she came back from Central, it had managed to come back with her, but with no evidence to help her remember. She held out a hand and it rested obediently on its shoulder.

"I know you hold something about this boy…" She spoke to it. "But you must have been tampered with, too… but by who? And why?"

* * *

"Whoa!" Lavi excitedly flipped to the next page. "This is alchemy? Sounds idealistic, but very interesting! I should ask Gramps if I should document this!"

Ed and Al smiled. Al was told about the legacy of Allen Walker, and Al was rather grateful and bitter about that, since he loved good stories, but hated the tragedy of the heroes. Lavi then set the book down, bookmarking it with his personal bookmarks (he was that organized?), and looked at Ed.

"You guys sure are cool, to get books like these" He pointed to the stack of books. "I don't know… but I wonder why I haven't seen these books so far yet."

"Just look harder," Ed joked. "You should get another eye to help."

"Hey!" Lavi shot back, and the three laughed.

"Anyways, let's just get to dinner." Ed got up. "My stomach's not so happy."

"Me neither," Lavi followed it up.

Al easily acquainted himself with the people who came to the dining hall. Lenalee was kind, but it was sad for her to not remember anything about Allen. Kanda was rude, but he somehow was able to put up with everyone anyways.

Lavi was busy telling about this cute Chinese girl he met one time. Ed was eating away, Winry, who had joined them this time, was merely watching them talk.

"So, Ed," Lavi finished his story. "If you'd got the chance to meet her, would you?"

"Nah, I'm not in for people like that," Ed smiled, munching heavily on his dinner. "But, anyways, I'd like to go to China if I ever get the chance…"

"You can," Winry added. "But I've got to update your automail first!"

Ed gulped, and Winry and Al chuckled in response. Lavi was about to ask about automail, for he had just remembered to ask, when 46 was running to their table.

"Lavi! Elrics!" It cried. "Komui and Mustang wishes to see you! You're already five minutes late!!"

"WHAT!??"

"Hey! Don't drag me!!! Lavi!!!"

Winry couldn't help but feel sorry for Ed at some times.

Panting heavily, the three boys limped to the main office, where Roy and Komui waited.

"About time you got here, Fullmetal," Roy smiled. Ed didn't bother to interpret whether his Master was sarcastic or just being fatherly.

"Well, now that you're here," Komui pointed to a rather comfortable sofa, which the three boys complied to sit down on. "Let me discuss briefing."

"What's it going to be this time?" Lavi smiled brightly. "Gonna be like that little ski trip we had when we were looking for the leaf of revival?"

"No, not really," Komui smiled. "You'll be visiting a city of Lior, in Andorra. You might need a rather lengthy train ride there, but no matters, everything's arranged."

"Better than a boat," Lavi commented. "The seas are so bad at this season."

"Good point," Komui nodded. "Now, the issue. Apparently there's been a new religion these people of Lior are practicing, called Letoism. Finders report that their 'God' is Leto, a sun god. The leader of this movement, whom they address as 'Father,' is named Cornello."

"Cornello?" Ed snickered. "He used to be guy who plants corn or something?"

"No," Komui looked at his report papers. "He's very much like a priest, in a sense. He has been said to make miracles, such as creating crystal flowers in thin air. Finders believe this is related to Innocence. So here's the deal."

He pointed to the small country on the map. "You three are to give him a visit. I think he might be a compatible user who's probably willing to help us out."

"But," Al added. "Are you sure he'll just join?"

"Maybe not," Ed pointed out. "If this guy's concerned with his own little posse of religious followers, then I don't think he'll give darn about the Vatican much."

"Still," Komui affirmed his point."You still have to go and confirm if it's a work of Innocence. I'm sorry it's almost bedtime, but just get there as soon as possible."

"Understood, boys?" Roy asked them. The three stood up and nodded to affirm.

* * *

"Funny thing, brother," Al commented as he caught a book that Ed wanted to read on the train ride (he then tossed it to him). "I just came, and we're already acting like everyday Exorcists, not just Central's subordinates or something.

"Yeah…" Smiling, Ed then closed the suitcase and sealed it with alchemy in one fluid motion. "I guess it's what we're born to do."

"Well, Winry fixed your arm this morning right?"

"Yup," Ed showed his right arm to his brother, the steel plating gleaming in the lamplight. "It's all set to go!"

"Brother…" Al said. "Izumi made an Exorcist uniform for you."

He shoved a load of black and red clothing into Ed's arms, who looked at it skeptically.

"But I like my own clothes…"

"Just wear it! I'm sure Izumi will not be so happy if you don't…"

Ed cringed… "Oh… right… ehehehehe…"

* * *

"All right!" Komui smiled brightly to the three departing Exorcists before they boarded the ferry. "You boys ready to go?"

"Wait," Al raised a hand, politely. "What about Master?"

"I'll be staying back on some research." He hinted. Bookman nodded to Lavi, who responded by nodding back.

"See you off then!" Komui smiled even wider and shoved the three boys into the ferry, causing them to fall atop the other. As soon as the boys were a mile away from the ancient Cathedral they deemed Headquarters, Komui turned to Roy and Bookman.

"You hadn't told them that you two were searching for the beansprout did you?"

"Nope," Roy frowned. "Best not provoke them to join in, just yet. It's too dangerous."

"I agree." Bookman nodded. Komui's lips tightened and he relaxed. These two were quite firm on their goals…

**A/N: Well, the next couple chapters is the famous FMA ministory we know. Father Cornello's fraud and Ed's first time showing off his automail with a very shocked Rose. This time, there will be some drastic changes, because I don't think Rose should suffer so much, and i'm very sympathetic to almost every character, minor, or major. At first, writing the "Cornello Arc" was expected to be one chaper at most, but instead, when I saw that the chapters were waaay too long, I broke it up into reasonable lengths, and it turned out to be three or four. So stay tuned for Chapter Four! Trust me, it's quite interesting, so please leave a review.**

**If any of you haven't heard. Currently I need some ideas on some missions. OCs are very welcome. So the missions have to involve one of the following groupings:**

**1. Kanda and Al**

**2. Chaoji, Ed, and Krory**

**3. Lenalee and Ed**

**4. Lavi, Lenalee, and Ed**

**choose one of the groupings and make up a mission for them! You may add an OC, as in, person turned Akuma, or a new Exorcist. No OCXCanonCharcter pairing, since I already set the pairings that will happen (some of the pairings I chose will quite shocking, though. none of them are yaoi, though). So, Parasitic or Equip Innocence, your choice... BUT... there will be another type of Innocence, that i made up, and it's a lot like alchemy (gotta put FMA in here somewhere, right?), so if you want the Innocence that will be found in the OC mission to be one of the super awesome Alchemic Innocence, then that very cool! you can do that! However, I might end up editing the mission to make relevance to the stories. and if the mission involves Lenalee, i probably might add lots of lenalee angsting about remembering Allen. okay, then, I love reviews, so please review! And don't forget to add suggestions for OC missions if you want to! I need them very soon!**


	4. Alchemic Innocence

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 4- Alchemic Innocence**

* * *

_Izumi frowned at her godchildren. She had been separated from them for a long time since they were born, and they were just about to go away again, this time to a war that that history will almost never mention._

_"Boys," She looks at Ed and Al. "You know your decision means that you'll become the Vatican's dog, especially if you're directly under Central. I'm not that religious, just that if you join the Order instead, you'll get more freedom…"_

_"We understand that," Ed frowned, looking at the wooden grooves of the table to avoid her intense gaze. "But then we won't be able to stay with Master."_

_Al then nodded after his older brother. "Besides, Master should be able to give us freedom, more freedom than being in the Order. Destroying Akuma has been integrated in our lives, teacher… We can't turn away from what we are said to do…"_

_Izumi's glare softened, and she got up from the table, and the two brothers looked up._

_"You two," She smiled. "Be careful, you hear? Pinako will be dead worried if she hears you go missing again for another year."_

_"Don't sweat it, teacher," Ed smirked. "I'm much tougher, now that you taught me a few tricks."_

_Ed then lost the look he wore and replaced it with one that showed his fiery resolve._

_"I'm going to help Master change this horrid system," he said in a low voice. "We will change it. I just know that it's bound to change someday…"_

* * *

"Brother?" Al asked the dozing one, who perked up and noticed.

"What is it, Al?"

"You know…" Al looked out the window of the blazing train. "This Cornello person… isn't it strange? Usually when there's high activation of Innocence, the Earl sends loads of Akuma to the area, and then we'd have to get rid of them all."

"Your point?" Lavi was absorbed in the books that Ed had brought along.

"I mean, Komui didn't say anything about high numbers of Akuma. You think this might be a hoax?"

"Look," Ed pointed to the report. "The Finders who saw this were from our department, see? It was Havoc and Riza who sent Komui and Master the message. You know that they wouldn't lie about. Seems that they said they even saw the Innocence."

"Oh," Al said. "But still, it's strange."

"Yep," Lavi turned the next page of his book. "Strange indeed."

"Besides, you have some instructions yourself," Ed looked at Lavi, who looked up at him, his face asking what it was.

"Well," Ed began. "Since I'm supposed to be 'your overseer Inspector' from Central, you might have to listen to me, for once."

"Wha-"

"Don't say that, brother," Al scolded Ed. "You're not that brutal. Besides, even though you're Inspector and Exorcist all at once… well, at least you're not like that Link person."

"Oh, that guy?" Lavi remembered 'Two Spots.' "He was way too uptight."

"I'm just saying," Ed looked at the two of them. "It's just procedure, all right? So, just do as I say."

"Fine," Lavi went back to the book. "But you owe me one."

"Hey, Ed, how long did it take for us to get from HQ to here?" Lavi stretched his lazy arms as they walked off the station.

"Um…" Ed reached into his pocket, and gazed into his silver pocket watch. "Five hours."

"That long?!" Al jumped. Ed raised an eyebrow.

"What? It's in Andorra, for crying out loud!" Ed reminded them. "You think it would take ten minutes to get here?"

"Hehe, sorry," Lavi smiled. "I guess it's hard to get used to not using the Gate for once."

"Sounds like you had an easier way of getting around," Al looked at the redhead as they approached the welcoming gates of Lior. "Was the Ark that fast?"

"Well, yeah!" Lavi grinned, and he recounted how he and his friends had to fight the Noah to get it. Al listened intently, even though he had heard it from Lavi before, while Ed was busy looking around the busy town, searching for an inn to stay. Strange enough, it was past twelve, and the town was still busy as day.

* * *

The people around them looked up and stopped their activity. A man who was shouting about sales for shoes froze and his hands fell to their sides. A local florist stopped snipping bad ends off her beautiful roses and laid her pliers down. The children stopped playing hopscotch and stared at the three young men. The black coats… the red lining… the recognition was quite like authority.

"Exorcists are here!!" One of the pedestrians yelled happily. Although the voices were not synchronized, Lavi could they were all shouting. "Welcome to Lior, black clergy!"

They were suddenly bombarded with requests and greetings, they probably wouldn't have made it ten feet into the city.

"Would you like a new pair of shoes?" the cobbler asked.

"Um… no, thanks… I'm fine with my shoes…"

"How about this delicious bread?" a baker the passed by showed a rather appetizing tray of the said food.

"It looks great… I'll try it later… right-"

"How about my roses," the florist showed them a rosebush. "I'm sure you all have loved ones back home…"

"Thank you, but-"

They became overwhelmed with questions until the crowd fell silent when a young couple approached them. The man, his broad shoulders shown rather proudly, walked with his brown hair ruffling in the midnight wind. He wore simple clothing, a white dress shirt, and black slacks. The woman, presumed to be romantically involved with him had brown hair and pink bangs that parted at her forehead.

"What's with all the racket?" the man smiled.

"Ryan!" One of men turned to him. "Some Exorcists have stopped by!"

"That so?" the woman looked in surprise, and they pointed to the three boys who stood at middle of the cobblestone pavement. The two then softened and smiled brightly.

"Welcome to Lior, Exorcists!" the woman said cheerily. "Say, you three seem to need a place to stay, right?"

"Um… er… yeah…" Al answered, and Ryan placed a hand on the boys' shoulders.

"No worries!" He smiled. "My fiancé Rose and I will be happy to let you stay at our inn! Come along now!"

They protested a bit as the man shoved them a bit to hard, nearly causing them to fall flat on their face, but they complied anyways, with Rose following behind quite willingly. Lavi couldn't help but turn back briefly to an empty yet dark alleyway, where he was sure he saw movement.

* * *

"Here's your room!" Rose showed to them. It was a vast room, with three beds (conveniently), and a window that displayed the town square, where a fountain was running quite smoothly. Lavi saw that the fountainhead's statue of a strange robed elderly man was probably Leto, that sun god Komui mentioned. Ed and Al set their luggage on the side of the door, but when Lavi was about to walk from the window to his bags, he tripped on his feet, sending a nearby porcelain vase smashing to the wooden floor. Al nearly jumped at the sound of the vase.

"Oh!" Ryan gasped. "Are you fine, sir?"

"I'm fine, thank you," Lavi groaned as he massaged his head, getting up slowly and then settling on the bed. "Who knew that tripping could give you a headache?"

"What about the vase?" Rose asked softly. "Look, I'll go to the backroom and bring a new one-"

"It's all right, miss Rose," Al smiled. "My brother can fix it. Stand back and watch."

Ed then cracked his knuckles as he walked to the part of the room where the uneven fragments and shards of the vase stood. He then gave the scene an analytical look, and subsequently clapped his hands together, producing an unusual hum, like the chorus of angels, if Marie were here to describe it. Lavi watched more closely as Ed bent down to his knees and placed his hands, still humming, to the shards of the porcelain. A puff of smoke ensued from the area where the boy had placed his hands, and Ed got up to his feet, staring at the clouded area. The smoke cleared, and everyone saw a vase, in perfect shape. Ed picked it up and placed it on the mantle again.

Rose was at a loss for words, but Ryan was able to speak.

"Amazing…" He smiled. "So that is you ability as an Exorcist?"

"No," Al explained. "Each Exorcist has their own ability."

"I know that," Ryan looked at Al and then to Ed. "Many Exorcists have stopped here before, especially this inn. Lior is quite a big center for travel, as I've seen, even business goes on at night. I've been able to witness many things their 'Innocence' can do. But I've never seen one that your friend just did…"

"Well, mine's very different," Ed smiled. "My Innocence is apparently a new type of Innocence: Alchemic Innocence."

"Alchemic?" Lavi sat up. "You mean like that alchemy book said?"

"Correct," Al nodded. "Alchemic Innocence is a type of Innocence that is manifested in its user's entire body, allowing him to use alchemy for special purposes. This is not identical to parasitic Innocence, in which only one part of the body becomes Innocence. My brother Ed's alchemic Innocence allows him to do a whole variety of alchemy, which is very rare. My Innocence is also alchemic, and it allows me to heal others, which is called alkahestry. My Innocence is more for defensive purposes than offensive. Alchemic Innocence has many advantages. Although first times, the user finds it unstable to use, but once he gets the hang of it, the Innocence allows complete synchronization with the mind, so complete control of Alchemic Innocence is critical point."

Lavi fascinated with this information, began to let the words sink into his mind so he could document it later. Bookman would be thrilled to hear this.

"Nicely said," Ed smiled to his brother. "However, there is one drawback to alchemic Innocence."

All eyes turned to him.

"Alchemy follows one basic rule: The Law of Equivalent Exchange. For something there must be an equal price, in all circumstances."

"Whoa…" Ryan was dumbfounded. "You know, Father Cornello can do that, too."

"Really?" Lavi looked at the innkeeper.

"Yep," He smiled. "Turns out, you came at the right time. Tomorrow, he's going to have a sitcom in the morning, and then an offering ceremony in the afternoon. I think you should see him afternoon cause that's when everyone goes. We've left a radio in your room in case you feel like turning it on."

"Thank you, Ryan," Al smiled, and the couple turned around and left the room. The bedroom was silent as the only noise was Al setting up the clothes from the luggage to the dresser. Lavi was still sitting upright on bed, as Ed looked outside the night sky where a full moon was at large.

"Alchemic Innocence?" Lavi asked, shattering the silence. "You've met anyone who has it yet?"

"Sure have," Ed didn't keep his eyes off from the window. "My godmother has one, but she's hiding out in Europe so she won't get involved with the Vatican."

"Hiding out?" Lavi jumped. "But why should she? I mean, if she joins in, she can help take down more Akuma! She would be quite helpful!"

"Apparently, she's doing that every day," Al continued to fold the clothes. "There's a reason why all of Britain is free of Akuma these days. Even Central was befuddled, but Master's department knows all about it."

"Amazing…" Lavi gasped. "You godmother's that good?"

"Believe me," Ed smirked. "She's really tough, she's the one who taught us actual fighting experiences."

"That's cool…" Lavi grinned. "If we ever go to Britain, I will definitely meet her."

"No doubt about that." Ed chuckled, and Al placed the suitcases under the beds.

"You know," Lavi contemplated. "It's really strange, not able to have Allen around when he could tell Akuma are around. Now we're just going trial and error without him."

"It's strange enough," Al said. "Central usually keeps quiet about who they put up for heresy. They don't tell anyone until they really do kill the 'heretic.'"

"Well, there's been some cases for exceptions," Ed hinted. "Anyways, bedtime, let's just get some shuteye. Five hours is better than none."

* * *

"Children of God who live on this Earth, have faith and thou shalt be saved. The God of the Sun, Leto, enlightens thy path. Behold, having descended from his throne, the Lord shall save thee from thy sins. As a messenger of the Sun God, I am your Father."

Ed had to hold back a yawn as he listened to the broadcast and watched Lavi write down the information. The Bookman apprentice then set down his fountain pen and sighed.

"For the first time in my life," He said out loud for the two brothers to hear. "I've actually gotten bored of documenting things like this."

"That's because you're used to writing about wars, not preaching," Al sighed, and the door opened as Rose and Ryan emerged from the entrance to the inn's room.

"Morning!" Rose smiled brightly, carrying a tray of breakfast for the three. "Oh! You've been listening to Father Cornello's teachings?"

"Yeah…" Ed laid back down on his bed, looking at the ceiling. "Come to think of it, who is Father Cornello, anyways?"

"Father Cornello?" Ryan pulled up a chair and contemplated on how he should say it. "He is the messenger of Leto, the Sun God!"

"The founder of Letoism," Rose continued. "The one with the power of miracles, he says. He's actually this really kind man who came to this city some years of ago and showed us the real way of God!"

"Oh, really?" Ed looked up at them. He could hear the scratching of Lavi's fountain pen again. "Well, the three of us aren't that into religion, so it's hard for us to follow things nowadays."

"Oh, really?" Ryan smiled. "Well, we follow Father Cornello because he made us a promise. You see, Rose's mother died the last year, and she's been done about it. We were engaged a long time already, but she's broken it off until she gets her mother back… Cornello says he can bring her mother back to life."

"Back to life?!" Ed nearly fell out of his bed. Lavi dropped his pen in surprise, and Al rushed over to help him up.

"Come on, Brother…" He urged. "This is not the way to start your morning, crashing around like that."

Al turned to the surprised couple. "I'm sorry, my brother tends to go catatonic at mentions of things like that."

"Oh?" Rose proceeded to present Lavi his breakfast by setting it on his table where he was writing away busily. "Why so? Shouldn't he be happy about it?"

"Well… um…" Al stuttered. "It's hard to say… He had this… well… accident… and he doesn't get over it…"

"Easy for you to say," Ed munched on the toast of his breakfast. "It's a delicate topic, so I don't take it very lightly."

"Oh, then, you should ask Father Cornello to solve your problems." Ryan smiled. "He'll be happy to listen your request, even help you along with Letoism, if that helps!"

"Sure," Ed smirked. "I'll be looking forward to that…"

Lavi's pen scratching became slower and slower, as if he were think in doubt at the same time. So Rose had lost her mother… man… this story keeps repeating and never stops… someone loses a loved one… and that will lead to another tragedy… a far deeper one, he knows that. Rose is the big target of the Earl. And what about Cornello? He is far too suspicious…

"Say…" Rose smiled. "You've got a whole morning, so how about you make yourselves useful? After breakfast, you three can help us with the kitchen. I'm sure you might need to stay in shape all the time, no?"

* * *

"Geez!" Ed said to himself as the three Exorcist walked down the ever-so-busy streets again. "Religion, religion, religion. Is there nothing that doesn't have to do with that guy around here?"

"No, don't think so," Lavi placed his hands behind his head lazily, observing the decorative surroundings. "Apparently, Komui was right, these people really are into this 'Leto' thing. Wonder if it's a cult or something."

"Nah," Al said quietly. "Cult will be an overstatement… Anyways, my hands are still numb from the cold water we had to use to wash the dishes. I always prefer warm water… How about you?"

"I never really care," Lavi continued to look around. "I mean, I don't really give anything about the temperature… well… maybe whenever it's scorching hot or freezing cold… You know… Allen, Yuu, and I went on this mission once, when we had to go into this bad blizzard, I had to use my Heaven Seal on my Innocence to get rid of the storm for the moment when we were battling these really hard Akuma. Allen even knocked himself out for a moment, too."

"Well, we'll make sure that won't happen again, right?" Ed smiled, and they arrived at what seemed like a large temple. Everyone was crowding there now, and the three of them just happened to be at the very back, unfortunately. Lavi, being quite tall for a man of nineteen years old almost to twenty, was able to see anyways, but Ed and Al apparently had an issue with seeing over everyone's head. Then Ed had an idea of making a makeshift platform off the ground so they could stand on it.

So Cornello, apparently, was an elderly man, fifty, if one could say. He was almost bald, his eyes squinted shut. Like most priests, he wore a black robe with a white scarf hanging from his shoulders. His smile was very wide, and it somehow reminded Lavi of a Cheshire Cat…

Rose petals fell softly on the white marble balcony of the temple, and Cornello managed to get a hold of one flower petal, and with a clap of humming, the petal became a fully grown rose, its silky glow arousing awe in the crowds. Ed raised an eyebrow in wonder.

"I wonder if this is even Innocence…" Lavi wondered. "I mean, Alchemic Innocence requires the Law of Equivalent Exchange. This does not follow the criteria. I think it could be an Equip Type… but… you know anything, Ed?"

"What do you think?!" Ed scowled. "I don't know any more about this guy than you, so what gives you the idea to ask me?"

"Brother…" Al calmed the other. "Be calm… you don't have to explode at everyone…"

"So… Bingo." Ed smiled evilly before seeing a member of temple pass by. No doubt, he was one, wearing white robes similar to Cornello's. Ed, Al, and Lavi exchanged glances and understood the plan.

"Um… sir?" Al asked the robed man while approaching him. "My friends and I just came to this town…"

"Oh?" The man looked surprised. "Are you the Exorcists that came yesterday by any chance?"

"Yes, we are…" Al smiled. "So… we would like to see Father… Cornello…"

"Oh, sure!" the man smiled. "No worries there! Just follow me, and I'll lead you into his office!"

The three of them followed this robed man around the crowd and to the main entrance just when the show ended and Cornello retreated to private sanctuary from his balcony.

* * *

"Founder, there are people requesting an interview with you, sir."

"Who might they be?" Cornello asked his Letoist follower.

"Two boys and one man dressed in red and black… they claim to be Exorcists from the Black Order of the Vatican."

"Vatican?" Cornello looked up dangerously, and then dismissively looked away. "Tell them I'm busy and they go home. We mustn't dwindle with another religion here. Wait… Exorcists?!"

"Yes," The Letoist replied. "I'm sure I heard them say 'Black Order…' Do you know them?"

"This is bad!" Cornello looked unhappy. "Exorcists, the Black Order?! They are the army of the Vatican, if you don't know that!"

"You mean to say that those two kids and that punk are Exorcists?"

"Age and appearance doesn't matter when it comes to Exorcists!" Cornello palmed his face in frustration. "Exorcists… Usually they come out of their so called Headquarters to search for people accommodated with objects called Innocence… I see, so those punks are related to the Black Order…"

"Why are the black clergy here?!" the Letoist exclaimed. "Do they know your contract with-"

"They are the dogs of Vatican, after all," Cornello relaxed once again, finally formulating a plan. "They have excellent noses, by the way…"

"Do you want me to send them away?"

"No, that would be too suspicious," Cornello frowned. "The Black Order will send more than three Exorcists if we turn them down. They won't stop until they get answers, the bastards."

"So what do we do?"

Cornello then put up a wide clownish smile, a creepy one… "Just claim… that they never came… how does that sound?"

The other responded with a malicious grin, understanding the murderous intent. "As long as God is content…."


	5. The Sun God's Facade

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 5- The Sun God's Façade**

* * *

"Come along, now," one of the followers led the five people in. Ed, Al, and Lavi were amazed by the surroundings of the room, wondering just how much it takes for people to really crowd it. Rose and Ryan, having been used to it, looked on…

"The Founder is a very busy person," said one of the followers. "And thus, he has not much time, but you have been in luck."

"It's all right," Ed smiled sheepishly. "We won't take too long."

"Yeah," Lavi followed along. "Just a nice cup of tea, and we'll be leaving quite soon."

"Yes," said the man in front of them, reaching into his pocket. "This will end quite soon…"

Before Ed could tell what he was going to do, the man whirled around with a handgun in his hand, pointed at Ed in the face.

"Just like this!" the man cackled. Rose and Ryan gasped. Al and Lavi tried to charge in but were blocked away by the other men.

"Brother," Ryan pleaded. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Rose, Ryan," the man with the gun explained, not taking the gun off of Ed's face. "These men are heretics trying to trap the Founder! They're demons!"

"But they're Exorcists-"

"They are enemies of the Letoin Church." The man gave a death glare at Ed, who remained indifferent. "They must die! Or the Founder will be taken away!"

"But!" Rose was in tears. "Father wouldn't have allowed it…"

"The Founder HAS allowed this!" Another man said. "The Founder's words of God are the will of GOD!"

"Wow, you have quite a very mean God," Ed's blasé expression at the magazine of the gun surprised everyone, and irritated, the man pulled the trigger.

But Ed's mind was racing to calculate his next move. He placed his right hand on the nose of the gun and cranked it up, rendering it useless. The bullet began to overload the gun, and the weapon exploded in the man's hands.

Lavi watched in awe at how Ed was able to merely bend metal like that with his bare hands… The Junior Bookman looked around, noticing the five other Letoists charging at them with sharp javelins. He cracked his knuckles and sent a punch square in a man's face, and the man yelped in pain falling to the floor and dropping the javelin.

Al followed up by jumping up over a man who was holding him back, kicked him in the stomach in one fluid motion, grabbed the dropping javelin and blocked a man's attempt to stab him in the chest. He then took control and went on offensive as he flipped backwards and tossed the blunt end of the javelin at an unwary robed man in the back. Ed had taken down the others with ease, and the five people were surrounded by bruised men.

Rose and Ryan looked in horror, Rose clutching Ryan's shirt to bury her face away from the sight.

"How… Why…" Ryan was at a loss for words. Ed looked up from his work, and frowned with his steely glare.

"Why?" He said. "I don't know either, why they attempted to shoot me…"

"You're always a trouble magnet, brother…" Al sweatdropped, imagining all the other times when Ed was nearly killed… let's count… a hundred times… maybe?

"Well," Lavi commented. "Now with that Exorcist uniform, I'm sure you'll get more trouble with Akuma on your tail."

"Yeah," Ed smiled. "No doubt…"

"Please…" Rose looked at them with pleading eyes. "Tell us… what are you doing… are you the heretics?"

"No," Al answered scornfully, looking at the javelins the people were using. "We are not heretics. Since we believed that your 'Father Cornello' is accommodated to the Innocence, we are here to request alliance with the Black Order-"

"But that's impossible!" Ryan shouted. "Letoism and your Vatican will never agree! You children should know better than that!"

"Will never?!" Ed shouted back. "Look around you! It's already an all-out war against us, right? Of course they don't seem to agree! It seems that your 'Cornello' is trying to set us up on something. You've seen you God's nature, didn't you? Well, open that head of yours and realize that your 'Founder' here is just a plain old fraud! Hell, we're not even here for alliances anymore! It's about taking the Innocence away if he's going to harm visitors like this!"

"But… he would never do that…" Rose fell to her knees. "Cornello… he promised that he would bring my mother back…"

Ed was about to explain why that won't happen, but he didn't feel like bursting his shell anymore, so they proceeded quietly to Cornello's room. The room was pitch black for a few seconds when the lights of the dark room were lit, spanning across the entire room, which resembled so much like a vast dungeon of the undergrounds. Ed, Al, and Lavi took their fighting stances, when they saw a platform ahead, and there, Cornello, their opponent, or ally?

"Oh, and I was expecting a nice welcome," Lavi commented, showing off his dangerous side, but Ed looked at him, and the redhead backed down. Ed had warned him that being sassy to others wasn't going to help if any of them became short fused.

"Welcome to our holy church," Everyone saw Cornello descend the steps. "Have you come to learn our teachings?"

"Yeah," Ed smiled with a hint of crafty planning. "Please, tell us a bunch… like abusing your Innocence to trick the people of this town!"

He heard Rose and Ryan gasp, abhorred by Ed's guts to say such despicable things to the Founder. Cornello smiled back skeptically.

"Hm… I wonder what you might be thinking of," Cornello looked with his beady eyes. "Grouping my 'powers' with 'Innocence' could pose a bit of a problem… If you saw it once, then you'd understand…"

"I've already seen it." Ed said in a nonchalant manner. "What I don't get is that your Innocence is neither Crystal, Equip, Parasitic, or Alchemic. You don't follow any laws when it comes to Innocence."

"That's why I said it wasn't Innocence," Cornello showed of the ring on his finger, which was glowing green and red.

"Thought so," Ed frowned in disappointment, and then looked up in triumph. "You're using Innocence anyways. That stone, it's your Innocence, isn't it?"

Cornello froze in contemplations, and everyone else was quite shocked. How come did anyone else not realize it before, especially Lavi? The Founder then smirked, and chuckled.

"I expected no less from a Marshall-level Exorcist," He smiled. "You are correct. This is a special stone made from Innocence. This is a special Alchemic Innocence, one that allows me to perform various arrays of alchemy that Innocence offers…"

Al gasped in shock. "Just like brother's…"

"With this power, I will be able to create a living army that never fears death!" Cornello exclaimed with madness in his tone. "I will override your position as a great power, the Vatican! And take the war on for myself!"

A great deal of silence ensued, and then Ed sighed in annoyance. Lavi and Al were quite deadpanned by Cornello's strange desire.

"Nope," the three Exorcists said all at once. "Don't care."

"What?!" Cornello shouted. "You're just saying a big issue like this and you 'Don't care?!' Aren't you from the Vatican?"

"Well, even though I am from the Black Order," Ed said once again, in a blasé manner. "I don't like to keep myself too attached, so I go by a different rulebook. So, let's get this straight. Give me the Innocence, and we'll go away quietly."

"Brother…" Al begged, but no one listened. Ed was probably going to pop a vein anytime soon, he just knew it.

"Bargaining with me?!" Cornello laughed maniacally. "No one in this town will believe you kids! I am loved by my people! They are my faithful servants!! I have helped them from despair! I am their Father!"

"Well, well," Ed clapped his hands, amused. Al and Lavi looked dumbfounded at him. "Thanks for the splendid speech, as expected from the Founder. Yeah, okay, maybe the whole town of your believers won't give a hoot about what we'd say… but what about what these two would say?"

Ed walked aside to let Cornello see Ryan and Rose, frightened to their limits. He scorned himself. Why hadn't he noticed them in the shadows earlier?!

"Founder!" Ryan yelled, and Rose was crying. "Is what you just said true?!"

Cornello was speechless as Ryan continued to rant. "Have you tricked us?! The power of miracles… God's power?! You weren't going to grant Rose's wish?!"

"You aren't going to bring my mother back?!" Rose spoke up, her voice cracking under the tears.

"Hm…" Cornello calmed down and smiled evilly. "Perhaps I'm not a messenger of God… but I can use my Innocence to bring people back!? No, not my Innocence. It cannot do that. I can use my other side to bring your dear mother back?!"

"Impossible!!" Ed shouted, meanwhile questioning "the other side" the priest meant. "You can't bring anyone back!"

Ed then turned on the old man and looked at everyone else as he thought. Aha! Bingo! The opposite of Innocence... even though Cornello's seems to be against the rules of any type of Innocence. He knew the answer now…

"I get it all now…" Ed said darkly, and he turned to the founder. "I get it all now… You… You! You have a been working with the Millennium Earl, is that right?!"

Everyone gasped in shock. Lavi was most alarmed. This boy… had excellent deduction skills?! Far sharper than Bookman's himself! Well, Lavi was doubting the thought, but he never confirmed it.

"The Millennium Earl?!" Cornello laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"Easy!" Ed announced. "No one but the Earl can guarantee they can bring the dead back! No! But he turns the two who sign the contract to become Akuma! It is proven impossible but not with him!"

Ryan gasped. Akuma! The demons of the Earl! The great Cornello was attributed to them?! Impossible! But… he must believe Ed, Lavi, and Al… right? He doesn't want Rose to become and Akuma!

Then Cornello ignored and tried to go for the big kill. "Rose… come to me, if you wish to get your mother back…"

"Father…" Rose wanted to get up and fall into his arms, but Ryan yanked her back.

"No, Rose…." He said firmly. Rose looked, her hazel eyes brimming with sorrow.

"Ryan… have you betrayed Leto, too?" She asked softly. Al and Ed looked sharply at Rose.

"Rose, don't do it!?" Al yelled. "He's trying to trick you!"

"Ryan… Rose…" Cornello said in a warm manner. "What's wrong? Be good children and come to me…"

"You won't be able to come back if you go, Rose! Ryan!" Lavi yelled. "You have had a good life even after Rose's mother had gone! History is history that cannot be changed!"

"Rose," Ryan urged his fiancé… "Please… I don't want to lose you, either…"

"I'm sorry…" Rose said silently. "I'm sorry… I must go…"

Ed clenched his teeth. "Enough soap opera! Just don't cross the line!"

"Oh, so that's how it is done," Cornello smiled. "It seems that I have to purge these heretics that threaten the future of my religion with haste."

The robed man approached a handle, and cranked the tool, allowing a wall on one side of the room to open, and everyone gasped.

One word. Akuma. Just one. A Level Three, Lavi confirmed, but slightly different, too. Rose, even more terrified, buried her face in Ryan again. The sight was horrible. Gossamer wings, ripped and torn as if shredded by flying shards of glass, hung on the Akuma's back, dismissed and for little uses. His scaly arms of rotting flesh, its stench floating in the air. It's body, seemed very much like a lion, and the metal green plate that hung over the Akuma's supposed head, hid away even more body horror. It must stop.

"Have you seen an Akuma like this, before?" Cornello taunted the Exorcists.

"Yeah," Ed rolled his eyes. "It's a level 3."

"Not just any," Cornello smiled. "But the truth is, my Innocence… it allows me, to manipulate Dark matter, the material of Akuma! I can make them bend to my will. And here, I have fused a great many into one."

"Well," Ed snorted, walking a few steps from his original position. "Seems like I can't fight unarmed, can't I?"

He clapped his hands and placed them on the floor. A gust of wind whirled around the room, caused form Ed's actions. Lavi watched with excitement as a mountain of stone erupted from the floor, as if separating itself from the floor. The mountain rose higher until at knee length, everyone realized it was becoming a long pole. Steadily, the pole then widened at the bottom, and then Lavi saw pure metal, not earth anymore. It was a blade. So Ed separated the metal elements in the floor and turned them into a metal blade for his staff. The staff then was at full shape, and it was separated completely from the floor, leaving a large depression in the concrete. The wind of the aftermath swept his blond parted bangs, occasionally overlapping sights of his steely golden eyes.

"When I perform transmutations like these," Ed explained. "the object I used alchemy on contains my Innocence, so I can use the object to fight Akuma. It's quite versatile."

"Ah!" Cornello shouted in fear. "So the Exorcist's name wasn't for show?! But, you can't defeat an Akuma like this one, will you?"

"Lavi…" Al told his friend. "Stay back… it's best you don't get into this. Only come when he tells you to."

Ed grabbed a hold of his staff, and twiddled the pole in his fingers as if this were nothing. He then set a firm grip and grasped the weapon with both hands, the metal blade glinting ferociously in the tense atmosphere.

"Yes, impressive, indeed," Cornello smiled. "But not enough!"

The Akuma charged with its gleaming claws charging for none other than Edward himself. Within seconds the demon as with vicinity, and had sliced the blade of Ed's staff away, gashing Ed's left leg at the same time.

"Ed!" Ryan yelled, as Ed bent over to check the wound. Lavi and Al were just as worried, but noticed that there was no blood. And if Ed's leg came into contact with the Akuma's claws, then shouldn't Ed be dead by now?

"Hahaha!" Cornello laughed. "How is that?! How do claws that can cut through your trashy iron feel?!"

"What was that?!" Ed looked up smiling, and the Akuma was clutching its arm that it cut Ed with. The claws had broken off, as if Ed's leg was far too hard for him. Immediately, Ed gave a swift side kick at the Akuma and sent it making a dent in the stone walls.

"Sorry," Ed smiled, putting his leg down, and everyone could see metal on his leg. "But this my leg's made a bit special."

"What happened?!" Cornello cried. "If the claws don't work, then bite him!?"

Lavi, Rose, and Ryan gasped as the Akuma got up, unnerved from Ed's last hit, and it ran straight at the blond Exorcist, who was calmly picking up the blade from his broken staff, just when the Akuma got the chance to get a hold of Ed's right arm with its teeth. Ed didn't wince in pain, or shout in agony. He kept his indifferent face on, and looked at the Akuma. The Akuma continued to tear at Ed's clothing on his arm with its teeth, but stopped in surprise.

"What's wrong?" Ed smirked. "Can't get a good taste? Well, let's take you to a better place where you _Can_ get a good taste, ne?"

Ed then used the blade of his staff and stabbed the Akuma straight in the abdomen, and the Akuma obediently let go of Ed's arm, and the boy immediately rolled backwards and flipped a few more to avoid any danger just when the Akuma exploded, leaving nothing behind. Al rushed to Ed's aid to tend to his arm, but it seemed more like merely helping Ed up. Al immediately ripped down the entire layer of sleeves on the right arm, and started to check Ed's arm to see if it was causing any pain. Lavi, Rose, and Ryan immediately saw Ed's arm: It was a metal prosthetic.

"What?!" Cornello exclaimed. "A fake arm? And a leg, too?! What monster are you?!"

"Whoa…" Lavi muttered.

"This is what happens," Ed says. "When you break the laws of Alchemic Innocence. For Alchemic Innocence, for those who have abilities like mine, this is the price I had paid for having it, and I have regretted it ever since…"

Everyone was very quiet and scared by Ed's words.

"Why?" Ed frowned. "That is because... Alchemic Innocence is probably, and incidentally, the closest thing to what the Millennium Earl can do."


	6. Sanctioned Secrets

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 6- Sanctioned Secrets**

* * *

"I was aware of my Innocence," Ed began. "When I was only eight years old. My brother had realized his power of Innocence also, and we tried to see how far Alchemic Innocence could go. It seems that Alchemic Innocence has its own limits. There is one thing Alchemic Innocence can never do, and this is ripping souls from the heavens and bringing them back to the Earth. No one can properly bring a person back from the dead."

Obviously Edward didn't like to talk about personal things. So instead we find out more about instead. And now the story of the deeper cause of the story begins…

_

* * *

_

A cloud of purple smoke appeared ominously before the gravestone of Trisha Elric. Two boys, one blond, the other dirty blond, was weeping as they kneeled in the fresh green grass of their local cemetery. They stopped crying and looked up at a tall, rather rotund figure, an ambiguous wide grin that could scare some and make others more calm. To show off his wideness, a big tan coat cloaked his entire body, like a longcoat. A lavender scarf was draped on his broad shoulders waving ominously in the wind. His oversized top hat towered about three feet, in conclusion.

_"Who are you?" The older brother looked up, and the stranger smiled wider._

_"Why, I'm the Millennium Earl~!" The fat man explained. "I hear that you've lost your dear mother… Is that so?"_

_The two boys nodded. "Why do you care?"_

_"Why? Because I'm here to make your dreams come true! Would you like me to bring your mother back?"_

_Ed hesitated… Should he just go through the trouble of having someone bring his mother back for him, or should he just do it with his own hands?_

_"Sorry," Ed frowned and got up. He had stopped crying. "I don't need you to help."_

_"Oh? Why not?" The Earl whined. "Isn't it much easier?"_

_"No." Ed firmly answered. "Come on, Al. Let's go home."_

_"R-Right… If you say so, Brother…"_

_"All right, then!" The Earl waved with a wet handkerchief. "I'll be here whenever you need me in case you change your mind!"_

_"Oh, give it a rest!" Ed didn't look back._

* * *

"The time when we first tried human transmutation," Ed said. "We didn't know what it was, but we were so scared, we stopped before we even finished it."

Al's eyes were downcast to the floor, and Lavi immediately understood just how bad the experience must have been.

"And after that," Ed continued. "We were scouted by the Black Order…"

_

* * *

_

"Almost done." Ed finished drawing the final portions of a large transmutation circle. Al gathered all the ingredients and placed them in a tin bathtub. After several more preparations, they were set to go.

_"Ready, Al?" Ed asked. Al nodded, and they placed their hands on the circle._

_The Circle then began to glow brightly, blue and green to be exact, but then it went wrong after that. A large eye opened in the middle of the circle and out of the ground came a metal rack. Purple dust began to shower upon the rack, bit by bit, clumping together to form a finger of a human, but the skin was far beyond brittle and too purple to be real. Ed released his hands from the circle, and so did Al, in horror, but the process continued._

_In short time, a body was formed, but it was far too horrifying, the brother would have puked if they had no guts._

_"Brother!" Al yelled. "That' not mother!"_

_"No!!!" Ed screamed. "You're right! But… how?"_

_"Edward…" A hoarse and harsh whisper came from mangled body… "How could you… Alphonse… Please… help… me…"_

_"NO!" Ed screamed. "You're not my mother! Go away!"_

_"Ed… ward…" the figure said again before the circle snapped back to normal, and the figure faded to the ingredients Al had set up before the transmutation. Ed and Al were staring blankly at the floor, their eyes quivering tremendously… Meanwhile, outside the window… The Earl watched with shocked eyes…_

_"My, My…" The Earl said quietly. "Looks like they really do need my help… Nah… he'll probably say no…"_

_---*--- A year later ---*---_

_"Ed!!" Pinako, an elderly woman she was tried to reach for Ed as the boy was dragged by the scruff of the neck and bound by strange cards portraying Oriental writings. Izumi was ready to pounce._

_"Do not interfere," one of the men who were restraining Ed said. "This is the order of the Black Order. He must be brought before the Inspector for questioning. This boy has done deeds against the Order."_

_Al, who has roughly shoved into the closet by Ed earlier, began to cry softly as Pinako and the man argued about morality. He could hear Winry sobbing loudly before the men, who paid no attention to her._

_"Don't you think that taking a child like this is irresponsible?!" Izumi's voice began to crack. "And I though you people from the Black Order were decent young men!"_

_"My apologies," another man said. "But these are our orders. I apologize for the inconvenience…"_

_"What inconvenience!?" Izumi shouted. "You're kidnapping! That's what it is!"_

_"Let's go," another man lost hope, and the purple robed figures began to leave._

_"Ed!" Izumi as she attempted to run and take down the men down, but Pinako held her back. Even not in somewhat frail health, Izumi wouldn't stand a chance. The last one to leave heard Winry whimper._

_"Please… Don't take Ed away from me… not Ed… he doesn't deserve to…"_

_And just as the man took Ed along, the Earl was watching again._

_"So… he has paid his price for not listening to me~"_

_

* * *

_

Ed lived a living hell after that. One would not need to describe how bad his torture had been once one sees his left leg and right arm missing from his body.

_Marshall Roy Mustang, the other Marshalls, and Finder Riza Hawkeye were ambling down the hallways of Central, when they heard the most unusual noises over the hushed voices of secretaries. Having the sharpest ears out of all the marshalls, he probably was the only one who heard it. More like familiar, but unexpected. Screams… pleading screams for help…_

_"Roy!" Klaud Nine was going after him, followed by everyone else in the group._

_Roy Mustang and Riza already turned on their heels and raced to the source of the sound, knocking into some other members of Central, who scolded the marshalls for knocking into them._

_"My bad!" Hawkeye shouted as she attempted to dodge a stray cat that somehow managed to get in, but she nearly tripped._

_They stopped again, and they tried to find the screams again. Yeegar panted. He wasn't much of a runner._

_"Mustang…" He panted again. "Don't go off like that."_

_"I heard something," Roy said, frustrated that the screaming had gone again. "I swear, I heard it!"_

_"Maybe it was your imagination," Sokaro said lazily. "Central's haunted, right?"_

_"Sokar-"_

_As expected, the screams came back. This time, the corridor they were in was quite empty, so everyone heard it. Everyone looked at each other with panic and doubt. Roy then reached into his pockets, slipping on a pair of white gloves. Just in case. The other marshalls cringed at the sight of the gloves. Whenever the Flames of Wrath had his Innocence on, he really meant business._

_"Here!" He pointed to an adjacent corridor and they hurried along._

_After a moment of searching, Roy, sure that he had found the right room, looked at his Finder. She nodded and with brute strength, she kicked down the door with all her might. Apparently the hinges of the door were so delicate the just shattered upon impact. All the Generals stormed into the dark chamber and hurried down the flight of stairs._

_"Why in the dungeons?" Tiedoll asked. "I thought they closed it off to everyone."_

_"Well, apparently not!" Roy answered, and they raced down as the screaming became much more louder._

_"We're already a hundred feet underground," Yeegar panted slightly, his knees buckling under the weight. As much of an old man he was, he wasn't really the fittest of all of them._

_"Come on," Tiedoll reassuringly helped Yeegar up, and they continued running._

_

* * *

_

"Leverrier… Don't make stuff up." Roy growled. Riza looked worriedly. This was supposed to be a conference for the Marshalls, but since Roy ran into a torture scene upon arrival, they had added it to the subject.

_"What are you talking about?" Leverrier tried to keep quiet. Roy then became enraged. Apparently, Roy, unlike everyone else, was always let off for speaking out of turn, since he did it all the time, and his habit of doing so was uncontrollable. Just this time was an angry one._

_"Don't play dumb with me!" He rose from his seat. "You know the Marshalls and I saw that child! You saw him yourself!"_

_Klaud Nyne rose from her seat as well. "Roy is correct. When I arrived here with everyone else, we all heard pleads for help underground. It came from a young boy with blond hair…. With only one arm and one leg…"_

_"Leverrier…" Roy growled. "You have gone, too far… If Cross were here-"_

_"If Cross were here, then what?" Leverrier said patiently. "He's only the same rank as you, he can't do anything._

_The man with the toothbrush mustache kept his composure. "Yes… It seems Roy had not only saved the child, but however… he also blew up the dungeons. Had it not been a long distance from surface level, he could have killed many Central members. Well, that's not the case. He gave third-degree burns on two CROW members."_

_"What do you care about?!" Tiedoll jumped from his seat. "A child who could potentially be a valuable Exorcist, the type of people that can rarely be found!? Or CROW members that can be replaced by military soldiers?!"_

_"I second it!" Sokaro got up as well._

_"I agree," Yeegar joined the standing Marshalls. "This is definitely child abuse. Worse enough, you even chopped off his arm and leg! Unacceptable! And you should be grateful that he managed to survive! He apparently has a strange Innocence no one ever heard of! He could an excellent addition to the Order in this Holy War!"_

_"Of course, a curious Innocence," Leverrier sneered. "But did you not know that this boy is the son of the Eastern Sage? We cannot have someone who can play God within our ranks."_

_"God or not," Roy frowned. "The Black Order needs as many Exorcists as possible, I don't think the concern is whether or not this boy has the Innocence that is much like God's."_

_"And I believe that Marian would say the same," Klaud added. "So it's a majority against you. We do not accept such practices."_

_Leverrier then gave a look of some potential triumph._

_"All right, then," He began. "What do you plan to do with the boy, if you don't want him to stay with my CROW agents?"_

_A slight uneasiness fell, until Roy raised his hand, possibly the first time…_

_"I will take him in as my apprentice," He declared. "It's about time I start training someone."_

_"Mustang…" Riza muttered._

_"But he's only got one leg," Leverrier sneered. "I doubt you'd find some use in him if he can't move."_

_Roy then crossed his arms._

_"Well, then," Roy started. "I suggest I ask for funds from you to start a project for the Science Division of the Order to make prosthetic limbs for the boy."_

_"But who will you bring in?"_

_"I know just the people." Roy smirked. "The boy's relatives are very talented mechanics. I'm sure they'll be overjoyed to help him out."_

_

* * *

_

Winry, who had managed to join the Science Division of the Black Order with flying colors, was quite proficient with a toolbox. She and her boss Reever had just finished developing a new structure: Automail. Based on her ideas of using electrical signals from a person's nerves to make actual body movements through direct contact, she managed to get Reever to do extra research, and here was the finished product. Her first customer, Edward Elric.

_Of course, she had known him, since they lived in the same town since childhood, but she still remembered that day when a group of purple cloaked and masked men dragged Ed from her house. Of course, resentment grew, since right now she was working for these people, but she made herself believe that she was in the Order for Ed and Al's sake._

_"Long time, no see, Win," Ed smiled weakly. She then playfully tapped him on the forehead with her wrench._

_"You're going to be spitting blood. This might take a while to adjust…"_

_"Nah," Ed gave a defiant laugh. "I'll get better in two months."_

_"That's not… possible…"_

_"Nothing's impossible, right?" Winry couldn't help but nod under the pressure of his golden steely eyes._

_"All right, then," She turned to her cocky attitude. "Just don't come crying to me if you lost half your blood. I won't be the one supplying IV for you!"_

_

* * *

_

After three years of apprenticeship under Roy Mustang, Ed and Al flourished in their new type called Alchemic Innocence, as everyone agreed on calling it. They were roaming around when they arrived in Berlin, receiving a phone call from our favorite Supervisor.

_"Hellooo~, Roy!"_

_"What is it, Komui," Roy grumbled. "You're going to make me mistake you for Hughes if you keep it up. And you didn't tell me anything about what's been going on back at headquarters… for five years!!"_

_"Sorry," Komui cleared his throat. "But Leverrier sent a letter to me and you. It says something about a promotion to Inspector… and that means… You! You're getting promoted~~~! So, he said that you can bring a couple people along, too!! You might want to include your two students…"_

_"I know that," Roy answered flatly. "When do I 'get into office?'"_

_"Dunno…" Komui drawled in a sing song voice. "Maybe next week?"_

_"Fine."_

_And there… the story began again…_

* * *

Cornello cackled. "So you really are a heretic! That's just too- AGH!!!!?!!!"

Everyone, alarmed by the actions of the mad priest, turned their attention to the man.

"Oh no…" Lavi heard Ed mutter in worry. "This isn't good…"

The priest continued to twist on the floor, in agony, his hands clasped on his arm where the ring resided, screaming like a little child. Then he stopped immediately, his eyes quivering, his breath haggard as he rolled over on his back. Ed and Al gasped. He wasn't dead yet… was he?

"Cornello, proclaimed son of Leto," a voice just like Hevlaska's declared, and it echoed throughout the room. "You are no longer fit to be in use of the Innocence. You are now condemned to the outer realms. You are now, a Fallen One."

"NOOOO!!!!" Cornello found his voice and screamed as Ed and Al looked in horror. Lavi was just as shocked. A white body engulfed the man, and revealed itself to be a torso of a giant. The rest of the lower body was missing, the arms were missing, the head, missing, too. The strange 'body' glowed a sickly color of neon white, a white halo atop at the neck. Lavi stared in horror… This is what Allen and Lenalee saw that day… when Suman had become a Fallen One.

An earthquake ensued around the room, and Ryan and Rose were hanging to each other for support. The walls crashed down, and here they were, staring into the sunset. Ed then immediately grabbed Al and Lavi and dragged them behind a tall slab of concrete.

"Ryan! Rose!" He shouted. "Hurry! We don't have much time!"

"Y-Yes!" Ryan replied and he carried his fiancée bridal style for speed, when the Fallen Cornello lifted to the sky, a great many miles, and when all they could see was a tiny speck of him, it all happened.

A large bang in the sky reverberated around the valley, and gust of wind slammed upon the town. Luckily, The Exorcists and the couple were safe from the strength of concrete. A great display of light, caused a ring of fire to erupt in the purple hues of the heavens, as if it were a primitive form of fireworks.

"Ed…" Al whimpered in fear. "Could it be… that…"

"Yeah…" Ed looked downcast at the floor, as the wind finally stopped abruptly. "He's dead."

Lavi didn't help but lost his cheery composure to a traumatized one.

"But," Ed said firmly, stepping away from the concrete and staring at the center of the room that had been destroyed, leaving only the floor. "Look at what we have found."

They turned to where Ed had pointed out and gasped. Small crater stood, and there it was. The Innocence, resonating green and yellow sparks. Ed, Al, and Lavi approached the thing, and Rose and Ryan followed.

"This is Innocence?" they asked.

"Not really," Ed said plainly. "Innocence can vary. This is raw Innocence, meaning that it hasn't found a compatible user yet."

Ed's hair then stood on end. He whirled around, and saw the horror.

"Well, well," said the horror. "Seems like I hit the jackpot!"

"Akuma…" Lavi gasped. "But this time, millions of them…"

Indeed, it was a great many Akuma, but not as many as the time when he and his friends were on a trip to Japan to find Cross. Still, it was far too many. Ryan was speechless. "Rose… Rose?!"

They looked at the woman, whose stare was blank, as if she blocked herself from the world.

"Rose?!" Ryan shouted, shaking her furiously, but she didn't listen. Her hand absentmindedly reached for the Innocence in the small crater. Ed gasped as the green Innocence's glow turned steady, and it made a blast of green light around them once Rose's hand made contact with the green orb of energy.

"What's going on?!" Ryan shouted. Al then looked closely, and then turned to the man.

"Rose…" He explained. "She is synchronizing with the Innocence. The Innocence that Cornello had abandoned for a contract with the Millennium Earl is now agreeing with Rose's feelings. She is going to become an Exorcist."

**A/N: Now that was kinda unexpected. I hated Cornello, so serves him right. Rose will get a bigger role, but she'll probably be like Miranda or something. Oh, and sorry, if you really wanted to see Al in action this time, but he'll show his stripes in a chapter after the Cornello Arc, when Komui unleashes Sir Komurin the Eleventh (I like the dub title of the robots, sounds funny, but subs are always better). Poor Allen... He's not really showing up any time soon, and Ed and everyone needs to find him fast before he goes crazy... Don't worry! We'll find you Allen! Just that we don't really know where just yet. I'm on complete writer's block for A Piano's Requiem, and my head keeps singing that new Reborn opening (the song's called Listen to the Stereo by Going Under Ground, i think).**


	7. The Earl's Request

Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 7- The Earl's Request

* * *

"Al!" Ed called out. "Keep watch on the people, kay?"

"Yeah," Lavi smiled, reaching for his trusty hammer and enlarging it to its true size. Ed and Al had drop their jaws for a moment. Did the weight of the hammer increase when the size increases?

Ed then clapped his hands again, with the familiar hum following, and he placed them on a plate of his arm. The blade then began to extend over his wrist and then his knuckles, until finally a foot away from his fingers if outstretched.

"Whoa…" Lavi muttered in awe. "You can do that, too?"

"No time for being amazed!" Al nagged at them. "Go!"

Lavi and Ed then rushed away, jumping up high to battle the fifty Akuma.

"Rose?" Ryan looked at her eyes, which were still staring blankly at the Innocence. Ed, Lavi, and Al watched in amazement, as the Innocence began to take shape, and then it crawled to Rose's hands.

Slowly draining away, it seemingly seeped through her hands like water, but nothing came out from under her open palms. Ryan looked in horror.

"What happened?" He asked Al, who was busy kicking away a rather puny Akuma that managed to get close.

"She must have absorbed the Innocence…" He answered, finally resolving to taking the remnants of Ed's staff and flinging one at a nearby Akuma, instantly killing it. "Her abilities will come out really soon."

"Really?" Rose had awakened from her trance, and Ryan turned his attention back to her.

"This Innocence…" She said quietly under the din. "It… somehow got to my head… I know all about now… but should I?"

"Your head?" Al said. "That's the behavior of Innocence. Hurry up and give it a try. Your Innocence should be able to tell you what to do, even if you don't know."

"Okay." Rose got to her feet, and she realized that Ed and Lavi's fighting wasn't enough. Several Akuma began to charge in a beeline at them, and she immediately closed her eyes. Ryan then gasped at what had happened.

The air turned cold, and around the three formed a vast sphere of blue liquid. The Akuma crashed into the walls of this sphere and disintegrated immediately. Al himself was amazed at Rose's abilities. He then tried to touch the shield she formed, and he let go.

"It's very much like water…" Al examined as he poked the walls, which seemed to bounce each time he did, just like gelatin when shaking the plate that held it.

"Whoa…" Ryan stared in amazement. He then looked at his fiancé who was standing firmly, and he got up and stood beside her, to give her confidence.

* * *

"Hey!" Ed yelled. "I don't think slashing or hitting them one by one is going to help!"

"Okay, then!" Lavi smiled, and he then landed at the ground at a clear place.

"Fire Seal! Hi Ban!"

A big Red Dragon rose from the ground and then engulfed the many Akuma in one sweep, while Ed finished with his sword stuck through the final Akuma.

"Good one!" Ed grinned at Lavi, who grinned back.

They looked back at the others. Lavi was quite alarmed by the blue sphere himself.

"W-Whoa…" Lavi's eyes bugged out. "Is it just me, or is today getting weirder by the minute?"

"Dunno…" Ed was shocked himself. "I've never seen an Innocence like that before."

"Well, Miranda has something like that…" Lavi rubbed his chin as a gesture of thinking. "But… I don't think it really destroys Akuma like that one."

"Wait," Ed stopped Lavi. "It's deactivating."

Indeed, the blue sphere dissolved into a small wisp of white mist. The mist then began to collect itself into a small blue pearly pendant and it floated down to its owner's hands. Rose was panting from having used her Innocence for the first time, and Ryan helping her to her feet. Al was waving to his brother and Lavi.

"Brother!! Lavi!!" Al yelled.

"Um… so that was her Innocence?" Lavi pointed at the couple, specifically Rose.

"Yeah." Al smiled. "It was really funny though. It destroys Akuma but it moves just like gelatin!"

"Well, that sounds amusing," Ed gave a bright smile, somewhat fascinated with Al's description. Lavi then raised a hand.

"Um… Ed?"

"Hm?" Ed asked. "What is it? You don't have to raise your hand to ask something, by the way. This isn't a schoolhouse."

"Um… uh…" Lavi sweatdropped. "How do we explain this to the people?"

"Huh?" Ed looked around, and all the townspeople were glaring daggers at them for destroying the temple. "Oh… right…"

"No worries," A kind voice appeared beside them. "I'll take care of them"

They turned around, and saw an elderly man with graying hair, he wore glasses, and in his hands he was holding a sketchbook.

"You know…" he said briskly. "You kinda ruined the model I was trying to draw… now there's a big gap in this sketch… Ah well… brings mystery to the viewer…"

"Marshall Tiedoll!!" Lavi exclaimed. The bushy haired artist smiled.

"Roy sent me to assist you, but I think the job is already done," He put the sketch book away. "Anyways, without a leader, I think the townspeople might need some reassurance. Thus, I came here with a purpose, after all, although Yeegar would have done a much cleaner job than I could have."

"Hm…" Lavi thought. "Was there anything else you saw when you came?"

"Well," Tiedoll considered. "Cornello was the Earl's contractor, so he had converted a quarter of the population of Lior into Akuma. Had you and Inspector Elric here had not noticed the contradictions, I'm sure you would have faced greater consequences. By the way, I believe there was a new accommodator."

"You all right, Rose?" Al helped the young woman across the disarrayed rubble.

"It's all right," Rose smiled, and Tiedoll looked at the charming young woman.

"My, my!" He said in surprise. "It seems that you are going to be joining the Order very soon, yes?"

Rose smiled in confusion. "Joining?…"

"Well, Exorcists are subjected to move to the Headquarters. It's a quite simple process really, no need for contracts or papers. Headquarters is technically an Exorcist's home. It's very nice, and not that bad…"

"T-Thank you… but," Rose frowned. "What about Ryan?"

"That is your decision," Tiedoll nodded. "As an Exorcist, you have the decision to choose who comes with you. That young man of yours is quite fit to be a Finder. That way, he can follow you during missions and assist you if necessary."

Rose nodded and rushed back to Ryan to tell of the news. The man nodded and he hugged Rose in comfort since she was quite unhappy with leaving Lior. Lavi, Ed, and Al watched on, and then turned to Tiedoll with deadpanned faces.

"So… how exactly are you really going to help these people?" Lavi asked, pointing to the crowd, who were apparently resorting to pitchforks and shouts.

"I said…" Tiedoll smiled. "I'll deal with it. You have a report to turn in."

* * *

"Whew!" Ed sighed. "Least our stuff wasn't destroyed."

Fortunately, the inn had remained intact, and the three boys were standing in their room for the last time, and they were almost ready to go. Al then looked at Lavi's arm.

"Lavi?" he asked. "Is that a bruise?"

"Oh, this?" Lavi pointed at the purple blotch on his right arm. "I think I got it when I rammed in a wall today. Don't worry, it's nothing."

"Well, can I heal it for you?" the younger Exorcist asked.

"There's no need to," Lavi smiled. "I think the infirmary back at Home will give me treatment."

Al then nodded in resign and trotted down the stairs to the front of the inn. Rose followed behind him with the third suitcase. "Here, now can you please wait for Ryan and me at the front door? I need to pack my bags as well."

"So you're coming?!" Al smiled brightly, and the woman nodded.

"Ryan had agreed to becoming a Finder," she explained. "We'll probably just get married soon, or we'll have to hold off engagement until this 'Holy War' of yours ends."

"Is that so…" Al looked downcast. "I'm sorry, Rose… I apologize for having to put you and your fiancé through this mess."

"It's nothing," Rose smiled warmly. "I'm sure my participation in the Order will be a great part in your cause."

"What about the inn?" Al asked. Rose then chuckled.

"We own the inn," she answered understandingly. "I will probably send a telly to my sister to come take over the inn. I'm sure she'll understand."

"Hey… Lavi…?" Ed's voice came up from the room above. "Why are you shaking the table? You don't have telekinesis, too, do you?"

"I wasn't shaking the table!" Lavi exclaimed. "I'm not even touching it! And I'm not a psychic!"

"Well, why is it shaking?!" Ed shouted. "There's no earthquake!"

Turns out, Ed was quite wrong. Immediately, the entire building gave a slight shift, and Rose and Al heard a loud thump on the floor upstairs, and Lavi gave a girly shriek. Ryan burst from his room and saw Rose and Al downstairs.

"Rose! Al!" He called out. "Stay there! I'll get the others!"

The house continued to rumble furiously, and Al and Rose had to hang onto the banisters of the stairs to stay put.

"Since when did earthquakes ever hit Lior?!" Ed was heard yelling. "My head's aching!"

"Well," Lavi shouted back. "You hit your head on the table that was shaking the first time!"

"Edward! Lavi! Hurry!" Ryan's voice rang out over the creaks and cracks of the earthquake, and more hurried footsteps resounded on the hollow floor. Ed, Lavi, and Ryan immediately raced down the stairs, about ready to burst through the door to go outside, but the house abruptly stopped shaking, causing Ed to fall flat on his face again, and Lavi to trip and fall right on top of him.

"Whew!" Lavi sighed. "That was a close one!"

"Excuse me!" Ed shouted in a choked voice. "What about me!?"

"Oh!?" Lavi looked down. "Oh! Sorry, Ed! It's just that you were a bit… um…"

Seeing Ed's dark aura rising in the tense atmosphere, Lavi's mind told him not to say anything more.

"What was that?" Rose asked. Ed got up to his feet, massaging his sore head, when he saw something on the floor that seemed out of place. An object, more like a card, or note, either one, he couldn't tell. He picked up the note, and then saw that it was actually an envelope. He then flipped the cover over and over again, and saw the address:

_From: The Millennium Earl_

_To: Mister Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, and Lavi Bookman, Jr._

_This is a note of great importance. Please open the contents._

"Ed…" Al stared in shock at what lay in Ed's fingers. "What is that?"

"Dunno…" Ed then gasped when the letter floated in mid-air, and then rearranged itself to form what looked like an envelope with partly opened slits as eyes, and the folds of the thin paper becoming a mouth. Everyone stared at it with different aspects, one horror, one fascinated, one shocked, another alarmed, and another… well… very blue in the face.

//Edward and Alphonse Elric and Lavi Bookman Jr.// the contradictory voice of the Millennium Earl began from the "lips" of the talking envelope. //I hear that little Allen Walker is not in today… And is Mustang on a little goose chase?//

Edward, Alphonse, and Lavi gasped.

"Why is the Millennium Earl here?!" Lavi growled. "And why does this envelope talk?"

//So,// the voice continued. //I'll play fair, since I wish to meet with Allen. If you do happen to have a chance to meet him, tell him I'll be waiting~ Signed, the Millennium Earl and the Noah Family.//

//Postscript,// a young girl's voice appeared. //Please find Allen really soon. I'm really bored… -Road Kamelot.//

As soon as the letter ended, the envelope began to tear itself to pieces, as if invisible hands were doing the job. Then the shredded paper floated softly to the floor and was set aflame upon contact with the wooden planks.

"That's… very… strange…" Ryan stuttered.

"Y-Yeah…" Lavi sweatdropped. "I never knew that letters can talk…"

Ed, however, palmed his face in frustration. His Master? On a goose chase?! What was going on?! Sheesh! His Master was an idiot after all!

* * *

"You're back!" Winry flung her arms around Ed's neck and pulled him into a tight hug. Ed stuttered incoherently and began to gasp for air.

"W-Winry?" Al asked. "You're kinda choking Ed a bit…"

"Oh?" Winry released Ed. "I'm sorry…"

Lavi smiled and looked at everyone else who came. Lenalee was beside Komui and Kanda (he probably didn't want to come). Marie and Chaoji waved with welcome. Miranda and Krory smiled warmly. Roy Mustang and Bookman smiled as well.

"So," Komui approached Rose and Ryan. "You are the new additions to the Order, am I correct?"

"Yes…" Ryan smiled. "I believe so…"

"Well, welcome!" Komui smiled and shook hands with the two. "We'll host a welcome party for you tonight! How much time? Five hours?! Oh my! Hurry! Reever! Fetch my coffee!!!"

"Who needs your coffee?! You need to finish the paperwork! It's starting become a mountain full again!"

Winry then looked at Ed's sleeveless arm…. And the very big dent in the automail.

"Ed…." Winry looked almost about to blow when Ed shrunk in fear.

* * *

"Winry… you didn't have to bash him senseless…" Lavi sweatdropped, seeing Ed lying unconscious on the bed. "He's not an Akuma."

"Well," Winry gave a huff of annoyance, grabbing an armor plate from the supply room. "He should be a bit more careful!"

"He's already living a dangerous life…" Al sweatdropped. "with you hitting his head every time he comes here… He's been losing brain cells… maybe that's why he's been starting slack off on the paperwork in his office at Central… Is he getting book dumb some time soon?"

Lavi snickered at Al's deduction, and Winry merely huffed again and began to fit the armor on Ed's arm.

"So… that's automail, right?" Lavi asked the blond mechanic. Apparently, Lavi had been learning quite a lot about Ed today.

"Yes," Winry explained, taking a screw from the toolbox (one of Ed's had fallen off during the battle). "Automail was designed by me and Captain Reever. Apparently, the first models we made were created to work specifically for Ed only. That is because Ed uses Alchemic Innocence, so Innocence is distributed throughout the entire body. Apparently, Ed seems to only be able to use Innocence through his arms, so what Reever and I did was use the signals given from his nerves, and Innocence, to make this mechanical arm move very much like a hand of human flesh. It took us a year to get the actual design right. Poor Ed, he had to be our little guinea pig."

"You did not want to see the look on his face every time we tried a new one on him," Al laughed.

"Well," Winry then continued. "Ever since I finished designing automail for Ed, I continued to update it, adding more metal elements to the alloys I use, and so it's much stronger. Also, I've finished a new type of automail, but it does not run on Innocence, but electrical nervous pulses. This is for non-Alchemic Exorcists who have missing limbs. The current project I'm working on is automail fingers, for Noise Marie. Had his fingers amputated during an Akuma fight. The problem is getting the most comfortable port to put on the fingers…"

Lavi was quite fascinated, and as Winry continued to other tangents, he was still interested. Then He and Al left to help everyone for the welcoming party, leaving the two alone for another half hour. Ed woke up later and he retold all that happened on the mission to Winry, who listened and fixed Ed's automail at the same time.

"Hey, Winry…"

"Hm? What's up, Ed?" The mechanic then looked at the plate where Ed dented.

"That Cornello guy…" He began to contemplate. "He didn't become a Fallen One until we confirmed so… why didn't he transform before when he already began exploiting the people? He did turn a bunch of people into Akuma, right? That's against the principles of Innocence."

"Good question…" Winry paused on her work, and looked at Ed, who was resting on the spare couch she had in the lab. "Maybe… the Innocence was misled. It wasn't his, after all… It was actually Rose's."

"But how come it was part of him earlier?" Ed said back. "Then it was fully compatible with Rose later?"

"Well…" Winry began. "Maybe… the Innocence was not judging correctly. You know, even though I'm not religious… but perhaps it was wrong for once? Maybe it needs the judgments of both itself and the people…"

"Heh," Ed smiled. "You may be right…"

"Now," Winry said evilly. "May you please tell me HOW exactly you got this plate on your arm dented? In full detail?"

Ed then paled. Oh, he was so dead… again… "Yeah… about that…"

* * *

"Ugh…" Ed groaned. "I think I'll be brain dead when I'm only twenty…"

But he shook the thought away and returned to his original objective. He then stormed his way from the laboratory to the office of the Supervisor. He waited for a moment outside the door, seeing if Komui were in there or not. Apparently not. Okay, then.

With all his might, he kicked open the door and barged in. Roy, Al, and Lavi were standing in the middle of the room, apparently facing him in wait.

"I was expecting, you, Fullmetal." Roy frowned. "Just don't do that again, understood?"

Ed ignored the question, and he looked at Al, mentally asking if his brother had asked about "it." Al then nodded.

"Well," Ed crossed his arms. "I believe you were supposed to tell us why the Earl decided to give us a little love letter about finding Allen Walker."

Luckily, no golems were present, so Ed was free to speak of the name, hopefully.

"I was just about to explain." Roy answered.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Ed said to his Master in a low voice. "If you keep it up, this is a really bad relationship between master and student…"

"I know that," Roy sighed. "Now will you let me explain?"

Ed's grunt of approval prompted Mustang to begin his explanation for the search of Allen Walker. Lavi was quite shocked.

"So why can't you ask Central?" Lavi asked. "Wouldn't they know?"

"Apparently, they can't tell me," Roy despaired. "My subordinates always ask themselves to get information, but apparently, Leverrier knew that I was going to look for Walker. He shut me out of information gatherings, so he'll put me on a goose chase. Seems like he does not want me to find Walker, and I'm sure I know why. You know what a heretic interrogation is like, right?"

"Heard of them," Lavi sighed. "They sound horrible, the methods people use on the heretics…"

"Well, I had to experience all that first hand," Ed raised and hand in boredom. "That's how I lost my arm and leg…"

Roy then looked downcast. "Considering what information I have found from asking people around the Order. We have quite a narrow time limit. For me to let this case off for over five months is beyond acceptable. Allen Walker will not last for long, if Leverrier's in charge of the trial. Besides, I don't think Leverrier wants to kill him either. Probably break him and put him to other uses. I don't want Cross's students to go through what my students have been in."

"Cross…" Lavi mentioned. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Roy looked up in triumph, but directing to Ed to keep quiet about something. "Who knows?"

Ed then snorted in annoyance.

"Well," Ed declared. "I say you let the three of us in on this case. It'll take a whole load off you and Bookman's shoulders, and finding info will be faster."

"Edward…" Roy said sternly. "You do understand that this will possibly bring up your own background with the Order."

"I know that!" Ed growled. "But… I know Allen Walker! I've met him! Before! When I was still your student!"

Lavi looked alarmed at Ed's statement. Al, who had been silent the whole time, allowed Ed to speak for him as well.

"I understand how much you want to save your friend, Fullmetal," Roy said with a fatherly tone. "But it risks your life, and I don't want that. Neither does Hawkeye, Hughes, or any of the team, wants that."

"Please… Master…" Al spoke up. "It's the best we could do…"

Roy then contemplated, and the three looked on with anticipation. Roy then gave a small nod.

* * *

"WELCOME! RYAN AND ROSE! WELCOME TO THE ORDER!"

The two newcomers were showered with confetti, and everyone helped themselves to a wide array of foods and drinks. Ed, Al, and Lavi, of course, talked frequently about the latest book they found in the library. Kanda stood beside the trio, listening, but really only standing around. He didn't have much to do. Bookman and Mustang, along with Komui were deep conversation again. Miranda and Krory were helping Timothy reach a table of cake he couldn't get himself. Reever, and all the scientists then proposed a toast in honor of Rose, Ryan, and small hint of a certain beansprout (very subtle, though, so no CROW could tell what they meant). Festivities were very elaborate, yet fun, in true meaning.

Lenalee Lee, however, was quite silent as she racked her brain of any way possible to remember the name of that strange boy that continued to appear in her dreams. She walked aimlessly about the party, talking with others once in a while, but her mind was set on remembering. If she could only remember…

**A/N: Done with the Cornello Arc! I decided that since this week may be Spring Break for some people (too bad mine ended already) this is a present for you! Spring Break can be pretty chaotic for me, since I went hiking for about 4 miles one day, and then the next day, I was walking my feet sore all over Las Vegas... My feet still hurt, but hey! I can still type, since my hands still work! And let's see! I had a question about whether or not this will be related will be related to Brotherhood or the original FMA series. To be truthful, I'm mixing them both together, so characters from the original series and from Brotherhood will be present. Not all of the characters will be present, especially not the Homunculus (the exorcists have a thirteen-person noah family to take care of already!), but I think I'll let Envy slide in somehow... Poor Lenalee... Even Timcampy can't help her... she probably feels like Kanda when he got flashbacks of his past... I read the latest chapter of DGM, and it was so sad... And I'm surprised that Kanda has actually an emotional side, like Allen, but still... so sad... I also began doodling these little sketches of the characters here, so I should scan them on and photoshop them to perfection and then put it up on Deviantart. As for a tiny spoiler... There is going to be a very very surprising pairing coming up really soon... cookies for who can guess the couple!**

**Next Chapter: Sir Komurin the Eleventh appears! Kanda, Lenalee, Alphonse, Ed, and Lavi go to Paris during break, and they run into deep trouble when a mysterious person begins to follow Lenalee and Alphonse. Not only that, Komui and Reever show up, to add into the mess. Just what's going on?!**

**And yes, for those who are wondering, I based the scene where the Earl gives his special letter to the boys on Harry Potter's Howlers (Just that this one is a lot less scarier than the one poor Ron Weasley got from his mom for crashing the Magic Flying Car). I don't own Harry Potter, either, btw.**

**Oh! And did anyone see the new (and final) opening for FMA Brotherhood? The song is really nice, and the scenes are so sad (since everyone, even Bradley! was crying). And for those who don't what the terrible thing that happened to Roy Mustang, I can't really tell you, since that will completely spoil the story. I can't believe FMA might be almost over already. It's soo awesome... But ah well, that's what Fanfiction's for, right? We can continue the story.**


	8. Sir Komurin the Eleventh

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 8- Sir Komurin the Eleventh**

* * *

"Come on, brother, you're lagging behind!" Al laughed as he and Lenalee looked at through the windows of the shops. Ed, Lavi, and Kanda meanwhile, were very far behind.

"Just came back from that mission, and my feet are killing me…" Lavi whined. "Yuu, how come you're walking with us? You know you don't get tired."

"I'd rather walk in silence than catch up with those two," Kanda said in a nonchalant manner. "And don't call me by that name."

"Give it a rest, Kanda," Ed rolled his eyes. "It's just a name, what's wrong with that?"

"Actually…" Lavi dragged his feet. "The real question is why we're here again?"

"Oh," Kanda and Ed looked up, and an imaginary dream cloud floated above their heads as the three boys paled at the memory.

_

* * *

_

"Morning, Lenalee!" Ed waved. "Hey, Al!"

_"Where were you?" Al asked. "It's annoying when you ditch me in the morning and disappear."_

_"At the library," Ed set his tray of food down. Lavi was busy annoying Kanda._

_"Well, it's pretty early," Lenalee smiled. "We have a whole day ahead of us. Anyways, Most of the Exorcists are getting a break, so we get to go outside in the city. You coming? My brother said you can."_

_"I guess I'll try hitting a restaurant there," Ed nodded._

"_Sounds good." Al agreed. "Maybe Lavi should come, too. The more the merrier!"_

"_But where are we going?" Ed asked._

"_There's a nice city right off from here," Al explained. "I went there before I came here. It's not that bad."_

"_And how far is it?" Ed asked._

_Al twiddled his thumbs. "Oh, not so far, we have to walk though…"_

"_How far?!"_

"_About… forty miles…"_

"_WHAT!?"_

"_NO worries!" Lenalee smiled. "We're taking the whole trip by train, so don't sweat it!"_

* * *

"And we didn't know that the train ride only was three quarters of the way…" Ed sighed. "She left out the part when we had to walk ten miles from the train station…"

"Why didn't we try Paris?" Lavi asked. "It's much closer…"

"This _is_ Paris," Kanda emphasized. "Idiot rabbit, we _used to be based_ here."

The redhead shrugged and kept walking along.

"Hm…" Ed looked about. "I was hoping to find a bookstore, but there's none from where I see it."

The three of them stopped and they only saw clothing stores and many people bustling through the doors.

"If you were a bit taller, then you'd see one," Kanda placed his snide remark, and Ed was about to burst a bubble, when he calmed down.

"You implying I'm short?" He asked with tranquil fury. Kanda didn't answer, and the two of them begin to glare. A spark of electricity erupted between the two until…

"Hey, hey!!" Lavi placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "We're on break, so no hard feelings, okay?"

"Who said you can latch onto me?" Ed crossly shoved Lavi's arm off.

"Get off me, idiot rabbit!" Kanda sternly did the same. Then he paused and whirled on his feet to see behind him. Lavi and Ed craned their heads to see.

"What did you see, Yuu?" the redhead asked. The samurai snorted in annoyance and then looked at them.

"The big sister complex is right behind that corner," he grumbled, walking towards an empty alleyway, with the other two following behind. Lavi sighed. The whole thing will happen over and over again…

The three of them charged into the alley, only to find that they ran over a man in a white lab coat. Alarmed at what they did, they jumped away and looked closely. He had sandy brown spiky hair, and the face was too recognizable…

"Reever!" Ed exclaimed. "What brings you here?!"

"Oh?" The scientist got up to his feet. "Well, sorry to scare you…"

"What are you doing here?" Kanda asserted the questioned.

"Just getting something for the lab," Reever said plainly. "I saw you guys, but then I saw the Chief running around right behind Lenalee and Alphonse."

"He didn't think that Alphonse is on a date with Lenalee, is he?" Lavi asked. "But Al's too young for her. She's seventeen, and he's what? Like… how old is he, Ed?"

"Fifteen," Ed answered flatly.

"Well, you know how Komui's like when Lenalee goes outside HQ…" Reever sighed. "But… I think there's something wrong here…"

"What?" The three asked.

"Well, I didn't expect Chief to be here, because his secretary Fay was being quite forceful about letting Lenalee go on her own, and he was really busy with this huge stack of paperwork, along with visiting Central for extra paperwork today…"

* * *

"Hey…" Al looked behind him. "Where's brother and everyone else?"

Lenalee looked as well, but they didn't see any of the three.

"Hm…" Lenalee sighed. "Maybe they found something interesting…"

Meanwhile, not so far away, a man with blue hair, square glasses, and a white beret was peeking from behind a fruit stand, watching Alphonse and Lenalee quite closely. His mouth turned into a Cheshire grin, and he slinked away into the shadows.

* * *

"So you're saying you might have seen an imposter?" Kanda deducted, and Reever shrugged. Ed then sighed.

"Who would try to disguise themselves as the Supervisor of the Black Order?" He reasoned. "He's not a celebrity, and obviously, to think that Lenalee has that many stalkers…"

"Well, there's one…" Lavi hinted. "And that's the Director of the Asian Branch Order…"

Ed looked at Lavi with surprise. "You mean Bak Chan?"

"Um… yeah…?"

Ed deadpanned. _So that's why he was so panicky about not giving the binder to me when I was 'inspecting' the Branch…. I swear I saw photographs of someone… like his girlfriend or something… but… He had been keeping pictures of Lenalee… that's …. Disturbing…_

"Well, Bak would never go through such trouble," Lavi added. "So… who else would it be?"

"That doesn't matter," Reever sighed. "Let's just find Lenalee and Alphonse!"

* * *

"Alphonse, what do you think of this one?" She handed a book to the younger boy, who took it and checked the synopsis and chapters.

"Well, this is nothing to do with what I'm looking for…" Al sighed. "It's just a novel about dragons."

He returned the book back to its place. Lenalee and Al then looked about the bookcases.

"Gee, If brother wasn't so slow," Al sighed again. "He would have found this bookstore."

"Maybe he found another one?" Lenalee suggested. Al shrugged.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "Maybe this one!"

He took out a book with faded red binding and checked its contents.

"Aw…" He groaned. "It's all faded, you can't even read it…"

Alphonse then looked up to the end of the bookshelf. Didn't he see someone behind there? But where was he? He could barely feel that person's presence, but he could tell that person's intent was to follow them, he thought.

"Alphonse?" Lenalee looked to where the former was staring. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Al smiled. "Just thought I saw someone…"

* * *

And so the chase began, and they ran all over the city trying to find the Supervisor. One instance was the time when Lavi had mistaken a rather nice looking young woman for Komui, since her back was turned… And just before any fluff had happened, Kanda, Reever, and Ed dragged him away…

Another was Kanda bashing his Mugen on an innocent pedestrian, well, the poor guy was knocked out, and Ed spent a while glaring at the samurai for doing that. Hours passed… and then…

"Komui!" The four of them shouted and tackled the Supervisor to the ground. The poor man was begging them to get off, until they had their fill.

"Ugh…" he groaned. "What was that for?"

"That," Ed said sharply. "Was for ruining our break by having us tail you around Paris! We're telling you! Lenalee and Al are fine! They don't need a chaperone!"

"What are you talking about?" Komui raised an eyebrow. "I just came here ten minutes ago and I needed to get more espresso. Apparently Fay refuses to get it for me when she's on break when I'm not…"

"You managed to walk ten miles here?!" Lavi's jaw dropped. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"No, not really," Komui's eyes glinted. And he pointed to a tall structure beside him. "I used this!"

Apparently, a robot stood beside him, painted lavender, for some reason. On its head was a camera, and a white beret. Those who knew what this was turned brain dead. Oh, this brings far too many bad memories…

"A…A Komurin?!" Reever clasped his hands to head in disbelief.

"Yup!" Komui smiled, proud of his work. "It can go really fast, and by the way, the real name is Sir Komurin the Eleventh!"

"Eleventh?" Ed looked at Lavi, who went blue slightly.

"He's made ten of them so far…" Lavi looked at the robot, and talked like a documentary of some sort. "All them were failures, though. Most of them were destroyed by Lenalee, Kanda, and beansprout…."

"Don't worry, Lavi!" Komui attempted to reassure. "It's waterproof, it's fast, and it's really intelligent! See? It can write and read things!"

Reever then hit Komui over the head in annoyance. "Why did you make another Komurin?!!!"

"That's not the problem…" Kanda snarled. "What's wrong is that Komui needs to get his facts straight about Lenalee and Al…"

"I'm telling you!" Komui went back to begging mode again. "I haven't seen them, I swear!"

Ed then gasped. Reever, Lavi and Kanda looked at him in wonder.

"That's strange…" Ed thought. "If Komui is really right, then who was it that Reever saw when he saw Lenalee and Al?"

Lavi then thought. "A person who just happens to look like Komui and stalks girls?"

"No…" Ed bonked the redhead in the forehead with his right arm, the automail one. Then he realized. "Uh oh…"

"What?"

"I think there's… a big problem here…" Ed gulped and turned blue. "This might be an Akuma…"

* * *

Al scowled silently. He kept getting the strange feeling that someone was following him and Lenalee. He kept turning around to check, but no one suspicious. Why?

"Al," Lenalee laughed. "You've suddenly gotten more nervous. What's wrong?"

"Um… I thought I saw someone…"

Then it caught his eye. A hooded person dashed away, as if he were running away from them. Al didn't hesitate to keep running when Lenalee was right after him.

"Alphonse! Wait!" She shouted, and they ran through the alleyway. But the person was gone, and a gruff looking person, a cancer stick in his mouth and a straw hat upon his head, was leaning against a wall, not caring why the two Exorcists were there.

"Al… what were you looking for?" Lenalee asked, but Al turned to her.

"I saw someone suspicious… but I think he's gone now…"

The smoking man stood up, and his eyes blared red from under the lampshading under the straw yellow hat. Al spun on his feet, and he looked at the man again. Lenalee gasped as the man's coarse skin began to bubble and then a huge grotesque monster of metal and dark material burst out. An Akuma.

"An shape shifting Akuma?" Al's eyes narrowed. Lenalee put down her shopping bags and readied her Innocence, when Al placed a hand in front of her to stop her.

"Leave it to me," He said, reaching into the inner pockets of his coat. "I'll deal with it."

"You think you can deal with me?" The Akuma taunted. "Try and catch me!"

The Akuma faded away, and immediately, five people were seen running down the alley towards them.

"Brother! Lavi!" Alphonse shouted.

"Brother?" Lenalee was surprised that her own brother was here.

"Al! Lenalee!" Ed shouted. "You aren't hurt are you?"

"Well, we saw an Ak-" Al was cut off by Komui.

"Well, you're safe now!"

"Fools!" the voice of the Akuma echoed in the alley. "You will never escape my illusions!"

"Illusions?!" They all gasped. Al then realized.

"So that's why," He said aloud. "This Akuma can form illusions, apparently material illusions, so they seem real…"

Lavi sighed, "Never mind being safe…"

The demon appeared once again, this time above their heads. Al didn't stop to think and he launched himself upon the nearest elevation point possible and jumped up to engage in battle.

"All right, let's go-" Ed was about to clap his hands, when he realized his arms were bound by strange ribbon. "What?"

"Ed!" Komui shouted, but a sharp illusionary blade of the Akuma was hurtling towards him, and Kanda took the blow in the shoulder for him.

"Hurry up and get out of the way, sister complex!" the samurai shouted. He then backed off and proceeded to attempt to cut the ribbon on Ed's hands, but they wouldn't budge, even with Mugen released. Scowling, Kanda attempted to go after the Akuma, but then he fell forward, unconscious.

"Yuu!" Lavi yelled. Now he was trying to help Ed.

"Since when could simple ribbon be this hard?" Ed said curiously, tugging furiously at the white cloth, then he looked at the Akuma. "Maybe that's the Akuma's power of illusions? Oi, Lavi! Hurry up!"

"All right!" Lavi yelled. "Let's go! Big hammer, little ham- ora?"

He looked at the space where his Innocence should have been, nothing there… "Hey… where did my Innocence go?"

"You must have forgotten it," Ed said flatly, still tied up. "We were in a hurry, after all, but damnit! Now we can't do anything! Stupid illusions!!"

Lenalee was fully aware of the situation and she activated her Innocence. The red anklets glowed, and grew to a large size, molding themselves into a pair of crimson red boots. However, she ran in the wrong direction, and kicked the fire hydrant that exploded and hit the robot square in the motherboard, and the poor thing blew up. The girl then clutched her sore leg. Ed's jaw dropped. Komurin… out of the ball game.

"HEY! I THOUGHT YOU SAID IT WAS WATERPROOF!!" Ed yelled.

"Well, that's what I built it to be…" Komui sweatdropped. "Well, you see, I didn't get a chance to test out the Sir Komurin the Eleventh…"

"Now how do we help Al?!" Lavi complained. Ed continued to tug angrily at the ribbons. "Yuu! Yuuu! Wakey wakey!"

"What?" Lenalee gasped. "The illusions are not breaking!"

"Hey!" Ed smiled. "It seems that my little brother made it out of the illusions before the Akuma closed us in."

Reever then watched Al finally reach the top where a long rod stood between the two buildings and above this alley. The young boy landed soundlessly on the metal pole and kept a good balance, and he readied his Innocence, a set of metal daggers, each decorated with white flags on the handles.

"So you have come to challenge me?" the Akuma Level Two teased. "I'd like to see how you fight."

"Oh, you will," Al played along, smiling, and he stood upright upon the pole and closed his eyes for a moment. Alkahestry, the alchemic art of using life energy in the ground, and that was his way.

One. He could fell sensitive movement about the area.

Two. His opponent was planning an ambush.

Three. That can be stopped… right… now.

He spun around, still keeping his balance, throwing five daggers the opposite direction of the Akuma simultaneously as he dropped five daggers about him on the pole. The small weapons stopped in mid-air, and each group formed a star shaped symbol glowing green, and a piercing scream appeared from the location of the daggers he had thrown, not dropped.

"Y-You…" The Akuma growled, as his true body appeared. "You saw through my illusions…"

"Actually, I could only feel where you are," Al said quietly. "but that was because you were very careless on hiding your presence. As many illusions you can make, you can only trick the eyes and ears, but not the mind. Good bye."

Bit by bit, the Akuma faded out of existence. Al didn't take his eyes off the spot where the Akuma had disappeared. Lavi and Komui watched in amazement. They had not really ever seen Al in combat, and this was the first time.

"Al's Innocence is also an Alchemic Innocence," Ed explained. "That means whatever weapon he uses can be considered his Innocence. However, he can't make weapons out of raw material like me. He needs weapons made beforehand. Usually he prefers daggers."

"Whoa…" That was all Lavi could say.

"Lenalee!" Al rushed to the injured Exorcist. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bruise… I was foolish enough to think that breaking out of the illusion would work." the young woman smiled, with a bright smile on her face. Al then shook his scornfully.

"Don't say that," He smiled. "You twisted your ankle. Here, let me help you-"

"I'm fine, really." Lenalee got up but she found herself falling flat on her bottom again. Al knelt down beside her and clapped his hands and placed his hand on the floor. A strange circular star pattern appeared under Lenalee's ankle, and glowed and faded away. When the process stopped, Lenalee looked at her foot again.

"Hey…" she was amazed that it could move normally. "It's healed! Good as new!"

Al nodded and smiled. "Now you're fine."

"Thank you, Alphonse," she allowed him to help her up and they walked to the five waiting for them.

"So, you okay?" Ed smiled. His brother nodded and so did Lenalee. He then faced the sunset again.

"Seems like we'll need to get back to Headquarters…" He said, and then he blanched. "Just how do we get to the station without walking ten miles…?"

Everyone then turned to Ed and pointed at the broken Komurin, telling him to fix it. Ed then sweatdropped.

"Okay…" Ed said in defeat. "I'll fix it, but I'll have to scrap it down when we get back. Komui, as Inspector, I'll have to prohibit you from making any more Komurins till further notice."

"B-but," Komui pleaded. "Komurin is…"

"What kind of thick head do you have?!" Kanda snapped. "You've nearly hurt your own sister last time, you damn sister-complex!"

"That was accident… You'll forgive me, right, Lenalee?"

"Brother… please don't make any more…"

"Fine…"

**A/N: Okay, back to weekly updates! If you think Kanda is a bit OOC, remember that he actually is a bit nicer after poor Allen disappeared. Next chapter gets back to the main story, and the surprise pairing you have yet to see is going to appear. Those who know who the new pairing is, feel free to shout it out. BTW, the pairing is not yaoi or yuri, so none of those.**

**So, here's the preview: Chapter 9: Vanishing Acts - ****Al and Kanda are off on another mission, this time to Dublith, Germany. A potential Exorcist awaits, but just who? And just what is the Silver Shield? Questions are cut short when Alphonse is kidnapped. but by whom?**


	9. Vanishing Acts

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 9- Vanishing Acts**

* * *

Al woke up in high spirits, as usual. Ed's bed was empty, so Al assumed at that his brother was talking a morning walk somewhere, and he began to slip on his Exorcist uniform. His head was racing with many ideas. What was Ed doing? What strange event will happen today? Is Komui going to showcase another one of his creations?

He exited the door of his room, buttoning his coat before taking another step. He kept his pace, nice and slow, admiring the stain-glass windows of the old cathedral as the morning rays showered upon the cold stone floor. This "Home" remained as mysterious as ever.

Upon entering the dining hall, a young boy with a big spherical gem embedded in his forehead approached him. His blue hair was short, and his eyes were somewhat, bug-like, for some reason. The youth stared up at the teenager, and then crossed his arms.

"Are you Alphonse Elric?" He asked flatly, and then received a small nod. "Well, the Chief wants to see you, so get your butt over there."

Al sweatdropped. _For a kid this young… he surely acts like a moody adult! Why does he remind of Ed in the morning?! No… maybe Kanda…_

"Um… thanks…" Al bowed slightly and asked Jerry to give him breakfast so he could take it along. The flamboyant chef happily complied.

* * *

"Ah… just on time, Alphonse," Komui smiled. The half-timid boy nodded meekly and joined his Supervisor at the couch. Roy Mustang was standing around, as usual, watching carefully.

"Is it a mission?" Alphonse asked.

"Of course it is!" Komui tossed a folder to the boy, who caught it with ease. "This one's really boring, though. Your Brother Edward and Lavi have already left an hour ago on a different mission. I supposed that you were able to take the job, either way."

The door to the office was opened immediately, and Kanda, looking as grumpy as ever, stalked into the room. He silently took his briefing folder and began to read. Komui paused for a moment.

"Anyways, let's put it in detail," He pulled down the big map once again. "You will be arriving in Dublith, Hungary."

"Although no real abnormalities are there," Roy continued. "Riza and Hughes have found someone compatible with Innocence. Your job is to see what type it is, since he refuse to leave until further notice."

"That's it?" Kanda grumbled. "Then why am I here? I'm sure it can a one-man mission."

"That's where you're wrong," Komui sat down, flexing his fingers and resting his chin on his fingertips. "Since we can't really be sure what they might do, it's best you both go and watch each other's backs."

Alphonse nodded at every word. Dublith… That was very far from here.

"Riza and Hughes should be waiting for you at the nearest inn. Be careful on your way there and back." Roy frowned, and the two Exorcists nodded in response.

"Master," Al asked. "What about you? Lately, you haven't been joining us for missions."

"Don't mind me," Roy smiled. "I don't have to join because I know you can handle this yourselves. And by the way, Alphonse, remember the plan I told you earlier case any situation happens."

Alphonse looked at Roy. That was rather stupid of his Master to blatantly say secret plans out loud, but yes, that was wise of him to remind the boy of the move they plan to use to turn the tide of the war. Alphonse frowned. The plan was to lure in a target, and he had no idea what the target would look like. Only by name he knew.

* * *

The train ride was very long for the two of them, and all Kanda did was looked outside the window again, and Al was busy tracing his fingers over and over again on the armrests. He had forgotten to snag a book from the library, so he was left completely bored.

"Hey," Kanda's deep voice caught Alphonse's attention.

"What?" Al asked.

"Lately, the idiot rabbit is getting quite busy lately," Kanda said, watching the continuous cow pasture zoom by.

"Yeah, so?"

"He's been skipping training, and spending more time at the library with that short stack." Kanda justified. Apparently, since Allen was bean sprout, Ed was short stack…

"Your point?" Al looked up.

"What are they doing?" Kanda asked.

"Just researching something that came up," Al said flatly. "What's wrong with that?"

"That's not like him," Kanda turned away to watch the window.

"And?"

"Is it about the bean sprout?" Kanda looked at him again, unnervingly blazing with some type of calm anger. Al gulped silently, and regained his posture.

"I don't know what you mean, Kanda."

"Don't play dumb, you're quite scared," Kanda rolled his eyes. "Afraid that I know?"

Al sighed. "So what if you do?"

"Just let me in," Kanda snorted. "That's the only option, isn't it?"

Al tilted his head slightly. This is one of the moments when Kanda could really be tolerated, and apparently with some politeness…

"Fine," He said, frowning. "Just don't tell anyone…"

"Whatever you say," Kanda let the comment roll off his shoulder.

"Thanks, Kanda," Al smiled. The train then came to a halt, and Kanda looked up curiously.

"This isn't Dublith," He added flatly. Alphonse nodded.

"We're taking a rest here." Alphonse got up and opened the compartment door. "Plus, I have some subordinates to pick up here in Berlin."

"Alphonse!" A blond haired woman in a navy blue suit waved to the approaching Exorcists. Her eyes were gold-orange, and her blond hair was swept up into a loose French bun. Over her suit was a black long coat.

Alphonse waved, and Kanda nodded. A man beside the woman was making a bigger welcome, with flailing hands and all. His dark brown hair was very short, and his square glasses glinted in the sun. His uniform was very similar to the woman as well.

"Riza! Hughes!" Alphonse smiled. Hughes then looked inquisitively at the boy.

"Where's your brother Edward?"

"He's on another mission." Alphonse smiled. "But Kanda here is coming with me."

"You're Kanda?" Hughes pointed and immediately grabbed for Kanda's hand. "Nice to meet you!"

"You too." Kanda grumbled and turned away and headed into the inn himself. Alphonse then laughed nervously.

"That's just Kanda." Al explained. "He's not that much of a social person."

Hughes then smiled warmly. "Just like Ed on a bad day, eh?"

Riza looked at the swinging doors of the inn. "Seems so."

"Oh! Oh!" Hughes smiled, and handed Alphonse a stack of pictures. "I just had these photographs processed last month! It's my sweet Gracia and my little Elysia! Aren't they so cute?!"

"Um…" Alphonse stuttered. "O-okay…"

"Anyways, come in," Hughes ushered the boy in while Riza followed behind. However, Alphonse had his face slammed into Kanda's back. Alphonse looked dumbly at his back and then to the back of his head.

"Ow… Kanda, may you please mo-"

"Alphonse, what is this?" Kanda asked sternly. Of course, he would feel quite cautious about what he was seeing. Instead of the wooden planks of wood that supposedly housed the inn, the walls were lined with steel plates, just like the Order. Several people in uniforms (apparently blue uniforms just like from Central but in blue, and some wore a black coat over the uniforms). Those who saw Alphonse, waved.

"Welcome back, Chief!"

"Chief?" Kanda turned at the younger boy. "Explain."

"I said I was from Central already," Alphonse sighed. "It's obvious that these people would call me that, since I'm their superior."

"Then why are you hiding an entire base here in Berlin?"

"It's a stop for Exorcists, in case they can't find a place to stay and such." Alphonse handed the jacket he wore to an attendant, who bowed and walked away.

"How I didn't see it when I was around here in Berlin one time?" Kanda asked.

"You didn't think outside the box," Alphonse sighed. "Some things hide in plain sight. Didn't Tiedoll teach you that?"

"Hey, hey," Hughes smiled reassuringly. "Let's not get any tension, shall we? Coffee, anyone?"

"Eh… no…" Alphonse sweatdropped. "Just get me some warm water. How about you, Kanda?"

"Tea, if you have any," Kanda didn't keep his guard down, and Hughes began to inwardly tremble in fright.

"Okay, then! We'll talk at your room, Alphonse!"

"I see," Hughes looked at Alphonse. "So the Chief is already on the job?"

"Yes," Al looked at the table. "It seems that it won't be long before we find Walker."

"Seems so…" Riza frowned. "Oh, right, we need to tell you about the mission here."

"And?" Kanda asked.

"We had managed to get the potential Exorcist's name. His name is Ling Yao."

"Isn't that a bit more Asian?" Al asked. "I thought this was Germany…"

"Apparently, they reside in a small apartment with his little sister, Mei Chan, next to a bar called the Devil's Nest." Riza showed him a card with the bar's name on it. "Lan Fan, Ling's wife, works at this bar here. We have managed to be able to talk to her, and she's quite recluse. That is all."

Alphonse got up and walked out the door and was followed by the other three.

"So when should we go?" Al asked. Riza then pointed at a clock. "About now."

"Good." Alphonse nodded and turned to a nearby attendant. "Excuse me, can you get some tickets to the next train to Dublith? I'm really sorry if I interrupted your work, just that you're next to the telephone."

The attendant then shook her head. "No need to apologize, Chief. If it's a serious mission, then I'll be obliged to help you."

"Thank you." Alphonse smiled.

* * *

"Good afternoon," A young Chinese woman looked at the four. Her eyes were onyx black, and her hair was tied into two buns. "You came quite early, Riza."

"I have," Riza smiled. "Say, Lan Fan… can we visit your husband, Ling?"

The waitress stiffened but upon seeing Kanda and Al's uniforms, she subsequently decided she couldn't refuse.

"Yes…" She smiled. "I'm going on break in a minute. Please wait for me."

They followed her outside the bar as she walked to the building right next to the bar. They climbed upstairs three floors before reaching their designated spot. Lan Fan rapped on the door quite gently, and Al and Kanda heard subtle shuffling.

"Who is it?" A man's voice asked.

"It's me, Lan Fan," the Chinese woman answered. "Riza and Hughes came, too."

"Oh, come in!" the man welcomed them, and the door opened. Behind the door was a young Oriental man with his eyes always squinted. His relatively long black hair was tied into a ponytail. He wore a rather decorative coat with yellow and white patterns on them. He looked at Al and Kanda.

"So these are the Exorcists you have asked to come see me?"

"Yes, Ling," Riza nodded. "How is Mei Chan by the way?"

"Very well," Ling smiled. "Oh! Don't just stand there! Come in!"

The five walked through, and Ling settled himself on the sofa, as did everyone else.

"Excuse me, sir," Alphonse smiled. "But can we please see your Innocence?"

"My Innocence?" Ling looked up. "Well, I guess you can…"

Ling stood up, and shut his eyes tight as his bare left arm became gray stone. The stony surface was very smooth, however, unlike normal rocks. The expanding gray skin then stopped at his shoulder, and Al looked at it with fascination.

"I had this since I was born," Ling explained. "but I haven't activated it since last year. I have fully come to understand how my Innocence works. My Innocence allows the carbon in my skin to become stronger, and that's why my skin now looks like thread. It seems to be very durable, since no knife has been able to pierce it so easily."

"Interesting…" Al muttered. "So, what's the name you given it?"

"Ultimate Shield," Ling grinned. "It pretty much suits the look, doesn't it?"

Then small footsteps appeared behind him, and there stood a young girl with a very small stature. Her eyes were onyx black, and her hair was braided to buns and loose braids.

"Ling…" the young girl asked. "Who are these people?"

"Oh… they're friends of mine." Ling picked the girl up and let her sit on his lap.

"This is my little sister, Mei Chan," the man smiled, and the girl waved.

"Nice to meet you!"

Al smiled warmly. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Brother, why are they here?" Mei asked.

"We're just having a conversation," Ling smiled. "Like all friends do."

"That sounds fun," Mei smiled warmly. "Can I join?"

"Sure," Ling replied. "But I don't think you'll get everything, though…"

They continued to discuss the details of joining the Order, and Ling nodded at every word. His decision was still undecided.

"As for joining the Black Order?" Lin asked. "I don't know… I'm pretty much fine with life here, and I don't like to travel often…"

"I have another option for you, Ling," Al got up. "But this is a private matter, so I'll need to speak to you separately, say, tomorrow, so you have time to think."

The other three followed his actions and they were just about to leave…

"Oh, and Riza," Lan Fan stopped the blond haired woman. "I forgot to give you that thing you asked for, hold on a second."

"Kanda, stay with them for a while," Al spoke to the samurai. "I'll wait for you outside…"

Kanda che'd at the fact that Al was ordering everyone what to do, when he did have the authority to…

Al was first to be outside, and he waited. It was noontime, and the overhead sun was blazing upon his shoulders. The boy sighed. He always felt strange whenever he never had Brother to back him up. But he shook it off, saying to himself to be a bit more self-reliant.

"Hello…. Exorcist..." A strange slurring voice called out to him. Al spun on his feet, and tried to the source of the sound. Without being able to have known the appearance of his target, Al was unable to sense him with his alkahestry.

"Who are you?!" Al demanded, and immediately, he was caught off guard by a shadowy figure towering over him. He only had enough time to see his attacker, but he immediately was wiped out.

* * *

"Huh?" Hughes looked about. "I thought Al said he'd wait for us."

"He didn't ditch us, I know that…" Riza frowned, and then she felt a strange sensation. Kanda must have this, too. Ling watched around him warily. Mei Chan and Lan Fan wore faces of concern.

Lan Fan then pointed to the Devil's Nest. "He might be there. I can see trails of someone being dragged in there. Seems that someone kidnapped him."

"This sounds bad," Hughes frowned. "Usually Alphonse never lets his guard down. Whatever's going on, we're up against a dangerous person here. By the way, sharp eyes, Lan Fan."

The woman nodded. "We can't wait here, let's go."

* * *

"Ugh…" Alphonse groaned. "Huh? What am I here for?"

It was large dark space, that place. The air was very ominous, and the surroundings, all dark blue and gray, and cloudy. Al attempted to move, but he felt something at his feet, pulling him in the opposite direction that he wished to go.

"Huh?" Al looked down at his feet. Strange chains that connected him to nowhere had appeared, restraining him from moving. He tried to look into his coat pockets for some alkahestry knives… but nothing.

"You cannot escape those shackles, young boy…" A girl's voice taunted him. "You are in the dream state of your mind. The impossible becomes possible here."

"Who are you?!" Al shouted.

A small giggle ensued, and out of the shadows a young girl indeed appeared. Her hair was vividly dark purple, and her skin toned all the way to gray. Her purple locks of hair covered a series of hollow crosses on her forehead, and her eyes dark gold, just waiting to see pleasure in something horrible… Her attire, light pink blouse with few frills on the sleeves and shoulders, and a dark purple miniskirt, striped black-purple stockings, and black dress shoes. Al gasped. A Noah… It was no mistake… this girl is a Noah…

"Welcome…" The young girl said. "To my world… and your inner mind… my name is Road Camelot… and please… remember it well…"

"Road Camelot?" Alphonse said the words aloud, and tried to remember if he heard the name before. Bingo.

Alphonse smirked. So Master was correct… she would come… But then a great thundering cloud of purple swooped down on the boy, and he gasped in surprise. The Noah of Dreams couldn't contain her laughter as loud crack of a bone echoed in the dark abyss.


	10. The Cracked Puppet

**Fullmetal Exorcist- Chapter 10- The Cracked Puppet**

* * *

There was no need to keep a low profile. If they immediately heard that a young boy was dragged to the back rooms, they'd surely panic. Kanda, at the head of the charging group, busted down the door with his Mugen. Everyone sweatdropped at his excessive action.

"You didn't have to slice the door…" Greed deadpanned, but Kanda snorted and continued off, followed by everyone else. They rounded up by a corner to a wider corridor, and paused. Riza and Hughes prepared themselves with a revolver each. Kanda looked skeptically at them and raised an eyebrow.

"You do know that guns don't work on Akuma, right?"

Riza smirked. "They're not ordinary guns, so keep moving!"

"Just how many rooms are there?" Hughes asked. Lan Fan began to think.

"Two, but I don't know which one…"

A loud scoff from an unknown person made everyone jump.

"Silly Exorcists…" A pair of footsteps followed behind them, and Kanda growled as he saw a strange person with guns protruding from all over the body.

"Mugen! Activate!"

* * *

Al winced as he clutched his left arm. Shoot… Now he's one arm down… His right arm flew up and clutched the injured opposite, somehow believing that if he held onto it tightly, he would feel better. Road then stopped laughing and frowned.

"Oh? What aren't you yelping in pain?" She asked like an inquisitive child. "I prefer the moments when you scream and plead. You're just like Allen Walker… just only a little worse…"

Alphonse tilted his head in wonder… so this Noah knows about Allen Walker… His mind then switched to strategizing a plan. Maybe he didn't have any knives, but he had other sharp things with him, so at least drawing a Purification array…

"What do you know about him?" Al asked quite calmly. Road raised an eyebrow at the unexpected behavior.

"Do you not know that he is the vessel of my brother the 14th?" Road answered back and received a small nod. "I just happened to meet him the past few years ago."

"Is that so…" Al nodded, unclasping his arm, and then slowly reaching for a gold button on his coat. He began to saw off the small threads that held the metal off the garments very silently.

"What's wrong with you?" Road circled the cage that held the boy. "You're not angry at all… You have a death wish or something?"

"No, I don't," Al smiled. "If I did, brother will be very mad that I went first before him. He usually likes to be the first one at a bunch of things…"

"Oh, really?" Road smirked and she settled on a sofa she conjured out of thin air. Conversations with the prisoner before he dies… this is a new method… "Your brother seems like a very strict brother…"

Al surprisingly was able to saw off the last thread apart, and slowly set his hand down to the surface of the floor, carrying the disembodied button with him, so it looked like as if he was merely setting his hand down to relax. Road paid no attention to it and continued to stare at him.

"Road…" He began. "Do you like Allen?"

"Of course I do," Road smiled devilishly. "I miss him very much…"

Al began to silently pretend to use his fingers to draw random lines on the surface of the cage as if he were bored, but he kept the edge of button sideways to carve a small long dent in his containment.

* * *

Kanda had wiped out the Akuma so easily, Riza and Hughes stared dumbfounded at the Japanese samurai.

"W-Whoa…" Lan Fan was in awe.

"You're like Chief," Hughes smiled. "But generally, he's more explosive."

Kanda looked at them in annoyance, thinking that the search for Al would be slowed down with them coming along, but he didn't process exactly that one more Akuma was right behind him. Lan Fan pointed behind him, but Riza had beaten them to it.

BANG!

A stream of smoke floated from a hole that was in the Akuma as it fell on the floor, completely immobilized. Riza then looked at Ling, who nodded and charged right past Kanda and transformed his arm into the hard material he described before. He then plunged the gray fist into the Akuma, who shouted in pain and then faded away with a relived sigh.

"That should be the last of them." Hughes put his gun away, but Riza, being more cautious, kept hers out.

"What was that bullet?" Kanda asked. "I don't remember bullets being strong enough to pierce through Akuma and then paralyzing them."

"It's a special bullet," Riza opened the magazine to show him the leftover bullets she had left. "They contain a compressed form of the energy used to entrap Akuma. Since easy-level Akuma can't move easily within Barriers, Chief's department decided to compress the energy used into bullets, so low-level Akuma can be easily paralyzed. It's quite a handy tool for me, since I used to be in the army before Roy took me in. I was the best sharpshooter in my squad."

"Impressive," Lan Fan smiled. "Now, we should take that door. That's our best shot. Ling?"

"On it!" Ling charged at the door she mentioned and broke through without hesitation. The back store was quite a huge room, where many barrels and barrels of wine were being stored. It didn't take them long to reach the end of the maze of wine barrels, and they saw a slumped figure of a recognizable person. His dirty blond bangs shielded his eyes from sight, and his mouth was slightly agape. In other words, he was not torn up or anything horrible.

"Alphonse!" Riza shouted, but she looked to see plenty of Akuma hovering above, threatening to gun her down should she continue. A heavy cackle of a young girl nearly made everyone jump out of their skins as they saw a young grey-skinned girl with purple hair looking amused at the unconscious Alphonse.

"Road Kamelot…" Kanda growled, and Road lost interest in Alphonse and turned to the one she remembered most.

"Oh? Aren't you Allen's friend? I believe that little rabbit I met a long time ago called you Yuu…" She began to tease, but Kanda's frustration increased.

"And aren't we a happy bunch!?" Road looked at the others who came along.

"What have you done to Alphonse?!" Hughes shouted. Road gave a look that made her seem to remember something.

"You mean this little boy? He's been knocked out for a while. Would you like me to tell you what he's dreaming?"

Riza began to shoot the Akuma above with not one, but two guns, and the Akuma began falling like flies, allowing Kanda and Ling to easily slice or smash them to pieces. Road stood in the sidelines, amazed at the Exorcist's handiwork, but deep in her mind, she could feel Alphonse stirring.

* * *

"So, Road," Al began his play of words, something he learned from Mustang as an apprentice. Ed learned it, too, and he was much better than Al. "You love Allen a lot."

"Of course, we've already established that." Road frowned, annoyed that he's said that a few times too much.

"Okay, then," Al smiled. "If you love Allen that much, why don't you go look for him? You're a Noah with lots of Akuma, so why don't you send them looking for your brother?"

"What are you-"

"You're a Noah, and he's your brother. You're probably stronger than all of us combined, you have the sources to find Allen."

"Well, I do, but-" Road had never been tongue-tied in her entire life. Something was causing her to weaken on her grip on Alphonse, and she began to wonder why.

"If you really want to spend time with him as soon as possible, why are you standing back?"

Road fell silent, and she turned her back on him.

"I am a Noah," She answered. "I don't participate. I watch. That's what I was meant to do. To watch my brother, the Earl, create this spectacular scenario."

"Because your brother said so…" Al shook his head scornfully, and Road turned her eyes on him again. "Don't make me laugh."

Road smiled. "And what can you do? You're in a cage, aren't you?"

"Am I?" Al smiled, and he lifted his hand to reveal what he had been working throughout the entire conversation. A small intricate circle with a star symbol in the middle lay etched into the metal cage. Road gasped. He had done this under her very nose?! How come she couldn't see that?!

Al got up to his feet, a look of triumph on his face. "Seems that you have underestimated me."

He placed his foot on the circle, and the small array glowed blue as a crackle of blue electricity enveloped him. The cloud of electricity expanded and filled the entire cage, until the chain that held him broke away, the bars of the cage disintegrated. Alphonse stood casually in the low light as he approached Road on the sofa.

"After all," He smiled. "My Innocence is called Alkahestry, the arts of the Earth currents. I am the Soul Weaver, one of the people on the face of this Earth who could even be considered an equal to your Earl. And by the way, I didn't only break the cage you put on me. I've just unlocked a part of your mind that you have never experienced before."

Road's eyes widened in fear. What did this boy mean?

"You don't know?" Alphonse smiled sincerely. "Road Kamelot, now is the time for you to get a first-hand tutorial at… having sorrow."

* * *

Kanda and Ling finished their jobs and faced Road. Riza and Hughes kept their guns at the Noah in case something was to happen. Lan Fan stayed behind, watching.

"You think that I'd let him go so easily?" Road smiled sadistically. Her mind was slipping from Alphonse, and he knew it. She could feel his overriding presence winning the mental battle. She just had to make this quick.

"Give Alphonse back…" Riza commanded. "Or…"

She then froze as a strange feeling swept over her. A strange aura hung in the air. She looked to Hughes, who seemed to have felt it, too. Kanda did as well, but he was puzzled.

"Or what?" Road taunted on. "You'll give me a small bruise?"

"Oh, I'm not talking about that…" Riza tightened her grip on the gun.

"Then what do you mean-" Road dodged a pair of flying knives that had gone for her shoulders by ducking for a moment. Lan Fan and Ling gasped. The knives landed on the floor, unscathed. Kanda looked at the knives at his feet.

"These… are Alphonse's weapons." Kanda looked up and farther past Road. "So that means…"

Everyone saw who was behind Road. Road's breath hitched for a moment as she spun around, and she saw Alphonse, his head bowed, but his back straight and his body standing. His head still bowed, he reached into the pockets of his jacket and drew out some alkahestry knives, his arm still quite shaky. He swung them at Road, who easily dodged them, but they weren't going for the Noah, but the Akuma who were still lurking around. Swinging the knives let his hair sweep past him, and it showed his face as peaceful as can be, eyes closed.

"He's sleeping?!" Ling shouted.

"His eyes are closed…" Kanda stared in amazement as he watched Al take a flip backwards from an Akuma bullet and simultaneously flung three alkahestry knives at that Akuma, breaking it to pieces. "He's even unconscious… But he's acting like he's awake."

"His Innocence is taking over him," Riza explained. "He and his Innocence are like battle partners. If Alphonse is KO'd, his Innocence continues to finish up the battle, since the Innocence is spread throughout the entire body. In this case, as Alphonse battles Road in the dream dimension, His Innocence battles her in the real world. This way, he will exhaust Road more, somewhat…"

"Actually, that tends to creep me out…" Hughes added. "It's like he's fighting in his sleep."

Road frowned. Al was beating her in both directions. She was bound to lose… She must retreat immediately. Unfortunately, a whip of pain flashed through her mind. Al was breaking away so quickly, it was beginning to tax her. The world came to a standstill for the two. The final sinew that Road held to Al's captivity was finally snapping.

So using his Alkahestry to unlock that part of this Noah's mind, seemed to be working perfectly. Al seemed to be understanding her pleas. However, he didn't think that breaking a Noah's pride would be this easy. He merely said some things, and she faltered. She looked around for some way to escape, but Al stood before her. Lero wasn't with her now so no quick escape for her.

* * *

"You're crying," Al blatantly interrupted the silence. Road looked at him as if he were crazy. She then felt her cheeks, which were very wet. Indeed, she was crying. Noah never cry, only when a fellow Noah dies, that's when they cry, but then what that happens, they don't really match the emotions of dealing with death, don't they?

"So what if I am crying?!" Road was breaking. No one had ever broken the Noah of Dreams, before, maybe Allen did for a moment, but still, that was never possible. That is until now…

"You usually have a reason to be crying." Al sat down beside her. "That's what happens with everyone."

Road felt the wet drops of water fall to her resting hands on her lap.

"Do you want to see Allen again? Right now?"

Road could not stop the tears from falling.

"Do you want to see him now?"

Road tried to keep her mind straight. She should be falling for tricks like these! Exorcists are of no equality to a Noah! Noah are the advanced race of humanity! Why should she care of those below her?! But… no… she won't let Allen go… Allen was her brother… a brother who almost killed the Earl!

"Why do you do these things!?" Road shouted. Al looked unfazed by Road's breakdown.

"Because," Al bent down and then settled to kneeling position before Road, so he could see her downcast golden eyes. "You're an interesting person. And I believe if you try… you'll do anything to see Allen… forget what the Earl says. You know you can't wait any longer."

"I can wait!" Road complained. "I have patience! Eventually Allen will come!"

Al looked at her as she continued to cry, and he actually found this quite adorable for some reason.

"I can see the impatience in your eyes," Al frowned. "Your defiance isn't helping at all…"

"But…" Road softened. She wouldn't be able to harm this boy… She can't harm… He's too strong… She's seen it already. No one could escape her traps easily. Even the redheaded Exorcist she broke a long time ago took longer then Al.

"I'll help you along the way…" Al smiled. "Noah or not… you were human before you became a Noah. Humans are supposed to help each other, no?"

Road looked up with eyes of a child, asking for forgiveness. Her cheeks had turned red, from crying, she did not know.

"Are you really going to help me?"

Alphonse gave a sincere nod. "It depends on what you decide. Whether to cross the Gate I've made for you, or not. We don't have much time to talk right now, since I need to get back to my friends…"

He paused, thinking of the last words to say.

"But… I'll be waiting for you… at the Gate… whenever you want to…" Al smiled warmly and he stepped back from her, and she continued to stare at the boy as a dark black cloud whirled around him, and he slowly fell apart like puzzle pieces clattering to the ground, bit by bit. He kept the smile on. She couldn't move, for that smile… was just like Allen's…

"Alphonse! Alphonse!" She tried to get up and reach for him, her arm stretching as far as it may go… but she too faded in a similar manner, for they were now leaving his state of mind.

Road's golden eyes quivered before them as she looked at the unconscious Alphonse standing before him. Hours passed in her mind, but a few seconds passed here. Her gaping mouth she closed, and she opened the Ark back home. She retreated silently, without any word or warning.

* * *

Alphonse's eyes snapped open as he saw the destruction he and the Akuma made. He saw a great many row of knives set in the floor and broken wine barrels.

"Oh?" Alphonse sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Was this all me?"

Everyone who were watching him sweatdropped. Al could do all this, and still not know?!

"You're up, Alphonse!" Hughes shouted. Al then looked around.

"Where's Road?" He asked.

"She went through this checkered door." Riza explained. "She's already left. I'll need to call the cleanup unit from the Shield."

"Shield?" Kanda looked at Al as he nodded and walked past the Japanese Samurai. "Alphonse, what is she talking about?"

Al looked at him. "You'll see when we get back."

* * *

"The Silver Shield." Alphonse explained. "Is the small organization my Master had formed shortly after my brother was released from Central. He had formed it specially for his own use, so he wouldn't need to borrow any CROW members. It's based in London, Great Britain. There's an outpost nearby in Berlin."

They returned back to Ling's apartment, and Lan Fan was letting them stay over for dinner. They had finished eating, and Al decided to start the storytelling.

"The Silver Shield is just as what it means. If the Black Order is the fighter, then the Silver Shield is the weapon. The Shield exists to assist the Order at a distance. Also, since Alchemic Innocence at the time was frowned upon, Roy set it up as an advanced training program for those who have Alchemic Innocence. He's apparently been the only one Marshall authorized to take in Exorcists with Alchemic Innocence as apprentices, since he's Inspector and all.

"Well, The Silver Shield used to only have me, brother, Riza, Hughes and a bunch of other people, mostly really good Finders. Only five Exorcists and ten finders. So far, we've only got about fifty people in the organization, so it's really, really small. I think that's because it's hard for Finders to get into the Shield, since Master as really high standards."

"So what does that have to do with the second option?" Ling asked.

"The Shield members are based worldwide, so immediate action can be easily taken. Since we have golems, we can keep contact all over The United States, Europe and Asia. So that means, you as an Exorcist, can be based here, keep the Akuma out of the perimeters, and if duty calls, you can meet at the rendezvous point we assign you. You don't have to leave your home and live in the Order. As long as you have your golem with you, we can contact you, and vice versa. As for training, there's a base nearby, in Berlin, for Shield members to train. You can visit HQ in London to do extra training."

Kanda was impressed with Al's ability to persuade and explain, since Ling smiled and nodded in acceptance.

"So how do I get in?"

"You just got in, Ling." Al smiled. "For Exorcists, there's no need to go through any physical challenges."

Al reached into his pocket, and he gave Ling a bat-like machine with a silver crest on the back of its head.

"As long as you have the golem, you're part of the team." Al smiled. "I just need to report you to Master, and he'll understand."

* * *

"Why so down, Road?" Lulubell asked the older Noah.

"Just thinking…" Road frowned. Lulubell and Tyki raised an eyebrow.

"Now, now," Tyki smiled. "That's not like you… If anything's bothering you, please tell us."

"I don't need to…" Road got up from the sofa in the living room, and she turned back on them, walking to her room. She entered her room, which was decorated to her liking: Pinstripe black and white walls, the comfort of a warm yellow bedpost lamp, shelves lined with stuffed animals, and a nice purple and pink bed to sleep in, if she wanted to. She looked at her pure white dresser where her mirror stood staring at her. She looked away, not wishing to see her darkened face from crying.

Road looked at the mirror again. Her golden eyes no longer showed the glint of mischievous playfulness. Her hair had grown less spiky and more normal, flattening out on the top of her head and falling down in locks. Alarmed by her new appearance, she looked at the many stuffed animals that filled her room. She hated them now. But why? How come Alphonse could change her so much, and not Allen? She could see the big similarity between the two boys, but why Alphonse Elric?

_'If you love Allen so much, then why don't you look for him yourself?'_

' _You're probably stronger than all of us combined, you have the sources to find Allen. You're a Noah, and he's your brother.'_

'_If you really want to spend time with him as soon as possible, why are you standing back?'_

The words had hit her. The first time she met Allen, she was in love with him. She wanted to have him, and he with her. She wanted… She wanted.

But the white-haired Exorcist didn't see her as that at all. He probably said words similar to Alphonse's but, those didn't shake her at all. Neither did Lenalee's when Road had broke Lavi and pitted him against Allen at the Battle for the Ark. But, why was it Alphonse, to break from her grasp so quickly and then break her instead? She thought of all possibilities but none could match.

"A-Alphonse… what a strange name…" She muttered, drumming away at the collecting dust at a windowsill she so many times neglected. Usually, she was bored quite easily, but now she acquired a new activity- thought. She thought of those words, over and over again.

'_He's your brother. Why are you standing back.'_

Why she only watched the world around her spin and fall? That was because the Earl told them to do. That was because he told the Noah to do. That was what he told her to do. Noah weren't meant to be participators, more like watchers, and when the party begins, they jump in. When the festivities of life fade, they exit sight or existence, waiting for the next party to begin. It was very much, like a play, where actors whiz through and by the stage.

But Allen Walker, was truly the Fourteenth, the dear brother who had betrayed the eldest brother of the Noah family. He himself had a brother, Mana Walker. Of course, this strange Noah genuinely cared for all of his family members, but he was still quite more rebellious than anyone else. He defied the laws, and he was forsaken to a different path… no… was it a better path? She had watched Allen Walker roam the streets with his "friends," chattering like any normal teenager would. Of course, the Noah themselves had chats like these, but never as close as what she had seen. Had the Fourteenth really been luckier than she?

She was the Noah of Dreams, and he, the Noah of Desires. Dreams meant many things, possibly Desire, if one could understand deeper meaning. What was her dream now? To watch the world spin round and then crumble so her older brother could laugh, with her younger family members? She was the oldest Noah, after all…

Now she realized what she had missed. Allen Walker was the Fourteenth… a brother with rebellious behavior… not simply a human toy to be tampered with, like she had done to him back at the Rewinding Town… He was human, still… She wondered if he had fully become a Noah at all…

Humans… they have bouncing emotions, they might not even control them if they want to… She remembered the time when she commanded an Akuma to commit suicide, and that drove Allen ballistic, only to be saved by Lenalee, that other Exorcist. She didn't really care for the others, just Allen. Allen. Allen. But back then, she didn't know the boy was the 14th. When she realized that she was hurting her own brother, she dropped her head in despair.

Family members can tease each other anytime, but they should never do so to the point of really breaking each other.

She never met Allen again after the Ark, yet the others had seen him. Lulubell had seen him a month later, and was so close to bringing him back to her, but the effort failed. By then, she now knew that he was her brother…

Then no one heard from him again. She hadn't gone out to play with her marionette Exorcists for a while, so she was quite slow on the news, just that she knew that Allen had gone missing. She had worried for him all the time now, like an older sister to a younger brother, despite the fact that the brother was sometimes getting the sister's way.

But then came Alphonse Elric. Come to think of it, he looked so much like Allen. The only difference the color of his eyes, and his hair (almost), and maybe his stature, but height was anything she should care about.

'_I'll be waiting for you at the Gate… whenever you want to…'_

"And how can you do that?" Road spoke to no one, and no one answered her. "You're a strange person, Alphonse. You sound just like that Hoeinheim."

For the first time, she actually blushed red at the thought. Thank goodness no one saw her just yet.

* * *

"I figured." Roy frowned. "As much as Road Kamelot is devoted to following the Earl's goals, she has goals of her own. I'm sure she loves destruction, but her infatuation with Allen Walker will be a great key to her turnover."

Roy was settled in a sofa with Ed opposite his end. Al was seated opposite.

"I'm still not sure about this, Master," Al shook his head. "As much as Road seems willing to change, I don't think we can tell if she's truly feeling so."

Lavi and Kanda stood about behind Al, listening intently.

"Well, what's done is done," Roy smirked, hinting a small snarky comment. "You finished the mission, got a new member to the Shield, and made a Noah fall head over heels for you. Seems that Road is a bit interested in you… Quite a lucky guy, aren't you?"

Alphonse paled, and Ed snickered. The younger brother then began to regret telling the entire mission to his Master.

"What do you mean?" Alphonse pretended he didn't hear that. Roy smiled.

"We all saw your golem's records, it's quite interesting, seeing what you did in the dream world…"

"You planning anything, yet?" Ed joked. "I'll be happy to be your best man…"

"Shut up, Brother!" Al slapped his brother in annoyance, turning beet red. "It's nothing like that!"

Lavi began to laugh like crazy at Al's reaction. Kanda gave a small smile to take in the humor.

"Oh, my sides are hurting!!" Lavi continued to laugh so hard he fell to the floor with a comedic crash. Al began to pop a vein.

"Honestly!!!"

Kanda then began to laugh softly, and Lavi got up to his feet immediately.

"Oh? Yuu-chan?" He asked. "Why are you laughing? Isn't this the first time you've actually laughed?"

Kanda's amused look then reverted back to his angry face and sent a death glare at him.

"I wasn't laughing." The Japanese samurai said angrily. "Shut up, idiot rabbit."

"Come on, Kanda!" Ed followed up Lavi's comment. "Loosen up! Otherwise, you'll die young!"

"Shut up, short stack!"

Snap.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORT STACK!?"

"Why are you pairing me with a Noah…" Al complained softly.

Roy sighed and left the squabbling Exorcists behind, and he paled when he heard a sword being drawn and a quick clapping of alchemy, and then that's when he really had to sprint back to the office.

"Hey! Not the papers!!!"

**A/N: Yay! Long chapter! And double chapter this week because I'm happy (sorta).**


	11. One is All, All is One

Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 11 – All is One, One is All

* * *

Ed gave boosted himself from the ground to dodge a knife hurled to his feet. He then gave a clap with his hands and placed his hands on the floor of the training room, and an eruption of blue lightning ensued, and a great amount of wood from the floor warped into a big dome that encased his attacker.

"Hey! No fair!" the person inside complained. Ed then snickered.

"Well, Al," Ed clapped his hands again and allowed his younger brother to be set free. "You never win if you don't have a trick card in your sleeve."

"You break the rules all the time," Al walked to the end of the room and took a big gulp of water from his mug that Lenalee had happily offered him.

"I was meant to break them, and you know it." Ed rolled his eyes and looked about the training room. Out of all the training grounds he's even been, this one was quite impressive, with several obstacles, but enough elbow space to bust a move with alchemy.

Lavi was currently trying to wrap up his "reading homework" and was slumped against a wall, his nose in the book.

"Hey, Lavi," Ed called, and the redhead looked up. "You ever wondered why we can't say the beansprout's name around here?"

Lavi looked up at the ceiling to think and then he shook his head. "Nope. Not a clue. Maybe because he's part Noah that Leverrier doesn't want a show out of that. Otherwise, Lenalee, Yuu, and I will be very looked down upon for knowing the guy. That's my theory."

The doors opened again, and Kanda, Winry, and Lenalee entered, seeing the other three settled on one side of the room.

"You're up this early?" Lenalee tilted her head in confusion.

"Of course," Al smiled. "To balance out our work in Central, Brother trains at dawn to not stress himself when he signs paperwork and all that."

"What brings you guys here?" Lavi asked, most notably directing the question to Kanda.

"We were looking for you." Winry answered. "I was going to ask Ed about the automail upgrade."

Ed then turned blue. "W-wait… you mean… n-now…?"

"Of course, silly!" Winry then grabbed the boy's arm and dragged him from the group. "You want to break your arm again with outdated equipment or not?!"

"You never put in painkillers when it comes to this!!!"

"Stop whining and get moving!!!"

Lenalee giggled at Ed's dramatic exit, and Al and Lavi sweatdropped. Kanda, on the other hand was indifferent.

"Hey, Al," Lavi turned to the younger Elric brother, who turned to him.

"What?"

"Roy Mustang, the marshall inspector… does he ever train?"

"Yeah."

"What is his Innocence?"

"He can snap his fingers," Al explained. "And he can blow up almost anything. Sometimes my brother calls him a pyromaniac."

"Then what did he teach you?" Lenalee asked. Al then sweatdropped.

"We had two teachers…" he answered. "Well, the second one was my godmother… Izumi Curtis…"

Al began to tremble furiously, and Lavi raised an eyebrow.

"Whoa… calm down. What's gotten you so worked up? You're like the beansprout when he hears about his master…"

"Um… uh… Izumi was very… very strict… Master didn't help Brother either…."

Al's head was swimming with that long tale of how he and his brother became fully fledged Exorcists…

* * *

_"HYEEEE?!!!??"_

_Izumi was unfazed by Ed's shocked cry._

_"You have Alchemic Innocence, too?!!??"_

_"Yes, I did," Izumi frowned. "And I did the same mistake as you."_

_Ed and Al gasped. Currently, they were in London, at Izumi's flat. Roy was leaning on the archway to the living room, listening in._

_"What do you mean?" Al asked._

_"I tried to bring someone back to life," Izumi sighed. "Actually, two people. First my brother when he died in battle, and my son, who died before he ever entered this world."_

_Sig, who was busily making dinner in the kitchen by chopping carrots, was doing his work more slowly now. The room was completely silent for a moment, until Izumi clapped her hands._

_"All right," Izumi smiled. "Let's get started on training, shall we?"_

_Al and Ed looked up at their new teacher in wonder at what she was going to do to them. Little did they know how hellish it could be…_

* * *

_"First, you're going to have to stay on this island for a month," Roy began, and the two boy's dropped their jaws._

_"WHATT!!???"_

_"Well, you are," Izumi continued. "You two have to survive by yourselves here. One is all, All is one. Find the meaning of it while you're here. If you can't understand it, then you can't continue."_

_The two brothers face faulted._

_"Wait!!" Ed shouted. "What about my automail?!"_

_"Well, find a way to maintain it!" Roy smiled. "Winry must have taught you something!"_

* * *

_The first days were not so great. The brothers couldn't come to bring themselves to kill even a rabbit at a moments notice when they caught one (after twenty tries), and they lost their prey. Fishing became more frustrating. Keeping meat away from the other animals that lived on the island was adding to the angst. But later, they realized the true meaning of life, and they progressed after that. How, you say? You just have to read the manga to find out._

* * *

_"Well… don't you think this is overboard?" Roy sweatdropped. Izumi began to polish the knives she was working on. These were going to be Al's first weapons._

_"Well, you remember when you, Sokaro, and I were placed in Siberia for training." Izumi frowned. "We had to survive by ourselves back there, remember?"_

_Roy turned a sickly green and then dismissed the thought before returned to normal colors. Sig raised an eyebrow as he continued to cut away at the meat he was planning to cook._

_"Oh… right… that… I think Sokaro was the best out of all of us…" Roy commented._

_"He was a madman, and still a madman," Sig sighs. "Whenever he wants to be…"_

_"Say…" Roy looked at the crackling fireplace. "You think we should return to the Order, give Sokaro a big welcome hug or something?"_

_"I'm not going back with those bastards," Izumi snorted. "Leverrier's way too much for me. If you really want to go back, you should try becoming an Inspector or something. And get the kids in, too, if you want."_

* * *

_They had completed their training, and they knelt down before their two teachers. The month was gone, and the two adults returned to the island._

"_All is the world!" Al stated._

_"And One is me!" Ed completed the explanation, and Roy and Izumi smiled._

_"Well done, boys," Izumi smiled. "Come on, let's get back to London."_

_They all clambered into the boat and Sig began to row._

_"How come there's two people to train us?" Al asked._

* * *

_A year since then, he had been trained by Mustang, while Al was trained by Izumi. Of course, since they were brothers, they would obviously have time for joint lessons very frequently._

_Since Roy was called in to be a new Head Inspector, he brought Ed along._

"_Master, where do we go next?" Ed asked, swinging his suitcase as he walked along the corridors of the station. He was already missing Al already._

"_We're part of the Black Order now," Roy turned to Ed. "We need to find a place to stay if we need to go to any missions. Besides, I'll be going to have some people who are going to work under me, Fullmetal."_

"_Like a king or something?"_

"_Not exactly," Roy looked up at the orange skies._

"_Boss!!!" A familiar voice rang Ed's ears. The two turned to see several people waiting for them: a woman with blond hair pinned up; a man with sandy brown hair and a cigarette hanging from his mouth; a rather buffy man who seemed to have a strong ego; a man with white and gray with sunglasses; a man with square glasses; An orange haired man; and a man with dark brown hair. Ed recognized these people. They were the Finders that had visited him back at the days when he was still recuperating from torture._

"_Sir!" Fury saluted, and Mustang smiled. "All preparations to the office are complete."_

"_Good," Roy smiled. Havoc then looked at Ed and then to Roy._

"_Boss, who's the new kid?" He pointed out. Breda then nudged him in the shoulder._

"_You don't remember?" Breda looked at him perplexedly. "That's Edward!"_

"_Oh my!" Armstrong looked at the blond teen. "Is that you, Edward Elric!?"_

"_One and only?" Ed shrugged, and the following welcoming display from Armstrong became far too much for him to handle._

* * *

_"I actually get an office?" Ed asked. "At twelve years old?"_

_Roy sighed. "Yes, you do. Because I'm the Head Inspector for the London headquarters here, the only way I can fully monitor you is to give you a desk job. Don't worry, you'll be traveling quite often, so I doubt you'll need to reach your desk at all."_

_All of them were walking down the hallways of the newly built London headquarters, and Ed looked around. The surroundings were quite more futuristic than what he had seen from other buildings. Steel walls stretched on for many miles, and a big foyer resided up front, where a large flag of a silver cross hung before the archway to any other room._

_Scar, who was holding Ed's suitcase, was walking beside him and his Master._

_"Scar…" Ed said quietly. "You didn't need to carry my luggage."_

_"That's fine, Ed," Scar didn't look at Ed, only up ahead. "Your rank is much higher than mine, so it's a privilege to help you."_

_"T-Thanks… Scar…"_

* * *

_Ed swung his alchemically transformed staff and struck Roy's arm. The older man smiled, and snapped his fingers, causing a burst of flames to fly at Ed's face, who flipped backwards and spun his staff so quickly that the flames were canceled out. His arm began to ache, and he noticed his fingers had some burns on them._

"_Well, seems that you might need extra work on the combat work," Roy smiled, and put his gloves away. Ed then thought this was a good chance to catch Roy by surprise, and he launched himself forward. However, Roy spun around and snapped his bare fingers quickly, and Ed was blown back by flames._

"_What was that?" Ed asked his master, and Roy sighed._

"_You honestly think that I would be that idiotic to keep my guard down._

"_I thought your Innocence was an Equip Type!"_

"_It is," Roy smiled, showing the hands he had taken gloves off of, and the gloves were back on again. "You just didn't see my body movements."_

_Ed was puzzled by Roy's quick reactions. How exactly was he able to do it that quickly? Surely, the man had no gloves on when he snapped. Ed was sure of it! Never mind that. Al will go ballistic that Ed had injured himself again… for the hundredth time. He was going to meet him today to go to Surrey for some mission._

* * *

_"There's about a hundred Level Three's around," Hughes explained. Roy nodded at every word and then he thought._

_"If they're all concentrated at the point where the Innocence is, we'll need to lure them out."_

_"How do we do that, Master?" Al asked, and Roy then looked at Ed._

_"What?"_

_

* * *

_

_Ed was panting ferociously, and he was backed against a wall. The five Level Three that managed to corner him were inching closer. He grit his teeth in frustration._

_"Damn you, Master!" He clapped his hands and slammed them into the ground where a great many columns of sharp stalagmites shot from the ground piercing through the Akuma, and they exploded away._

_"There's the little boy!" Another cry of an Akuma made Ed rush with adrenaline to jump over the tall wall and keep running. He had only a bit more distance to cover before he could finally get a rest._

_"Eat this!!!" Ed clapped his hands again, and he transformed his blade into something even better._

* * *

_"Brother… is something wrong?" Al asked the older Elric as they scanned their surroundings. Ed had come worn out from running all over town, and they landed themselves in a broken down restaurant._

_"The Akuma must have done a number on this town," Ed analyzed the great amount of poisonous dust. "We'll need to find that Innocence fragment, immediately."_

_Al had no real position in Central just yet, since he was still with Izumi, but Roy had recommended him to be in the medical department._

_"Good thing Roy is up there facing the Akuma…" Hughes sighed. "Otherwise, we wouldn't make it out…"_

_Al then looked to the two. "Would Master get out?"_

_"Of course he can," Hughes smiled. "Do you even know what Roy's synchronization rate is? He's a Marshall, so he's broken critical point. He should be able to dispose of those Level Three's very easily."_

_A loud explosion from a church tower crackled throughout the deserted streets. All three of them stared up as they saw someone jump from the burning spire and landing softly at the ground, making Al gasp in awe. That is impossible, to jump from such a height and landing so carefully. However, that person was ambushed by an Akuma, but a quick snap caused the Akuma to explode at the mercy of the Exorcist._

_"Roy! Good to see you back!" Hughes waved his arms, and Roy frowned._

_"Hughes, behind you!"_

_Ed didn't hesitate to clap his hands and form a blade on his automail arm and flipped backwards to flank a Akuma, shredding the demon to pieces. Roy then smiled as he approached the waiting three._

_"Good job, Fullmetal, Alphonse, and Hughes," He nodded, and then Ed frowned._

_"Next time," Ed growled. "Don't ever make me the bait again."_

_"Sorry, but you're such a short stack," Roy smiled. "With you as bait, Akuma have more exciting game." _

_"Shut up, Master, and don't call me short!!"_

* * *

"Th-That's… really…" Lenalee sweatdropped. "Your Masters are very… strange…"

"Hey!"

The resting Exorcists spun around and saw someone with a big stack of unidentified objects. Actually, the objects were bucket loads of notes, and things to sign. Behind the large stack of paperwork was none other than Reever himself. The Australian Section Chief waved his free hand.

"Kanda!" he called. "You're needed in the Chief's office!"

Kanda snorted in annoyance and walked away. Way to keep the morning nice and calm.

Kanda stepped boldly into the Supervisor's office, noticing the others in the room. Roy Mustang, again, was overlooking the operations of the room, and the Exorcists, that would be accompanying him would be Krory and Chaoji. He sulked slightly, and Komui looked up from his papers.

"Oh! Kanda! You're here!"

Then a flurry of heavy panting came from behind the Japanese samurai.

"O-Ow…" Kanda turned around and saw a very weary Ed, clutching on a nearby pillar for support.

"Did Winry's operation tire you that badly?" Roy called out to his apprentice. Too tired to shout back, Ed merely gave a death glare before joining the three other Exorcists.

"Alright, then," Komui smiled genuinely. "Let's start with briefing, shall we?"

**A/N: Ehehehe... that wasn't much, and it sounds very boring at this point. The next chapter should be better. It's going to be the Majahal arc, just with some tweaks to fit the plot. This time poor Ed might get some face abuse, and that means punching and slapping. Kanda's character is going off the wall, and he's so OCC now, once I look at it. well, blame Allen for disappearing and making kanda feel sad, like everyone else.**


	12. A Lost Sister

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 12 – A Lost Sister**

* * *

"As from now on, you will need to be escorted by a Central official on your missions from now on…"

Those words echoed in Chaoji's head. At first he had initially not really respected Allen Walker when they first met, especially when he accused Allen for siding with the Noah when the younger boy decided to help Tyki. His conscience was always knotted with regret when he remembered he had never apologized correctly, because at that time he couldn't forgive Walker. Now he probably didn't have a chance to, since Allen is probably in a dungeon, rotting away like a disappearing light.

And now, he wondered if he himself would fade, too. With a Central official around, he was bound to be showered with derogatory remarks from that person, and to think that the escort would be this teenage boy! Maybe this Edward person, would be a seriously obnoxious little boy that would bug everyone. After all, he only met him for an hour when Lavi was taking him on a tour. He had yet to see this Edward's personality rise.

Krory was feeling the same way. He watched as Ed was trying to talk to Kanda, who was actually beginning to answer his questions. He was surprised just how quickly those two got along, unlike with Allen. However, Kanda, being himself, always remained quiet. Chaoji began to wonder if his prompt to converse with Ed was from Ed's personality, or the samurai's own personality.

They were descending the cold marble steps from the old cathedral that housed Home, and the ferry was waiting to take them to a village in Northern Italy. Krory's face was sullen as they continued to walk down the steps. Kanda was looking up at the sky in annoyance, since he had just come back from a mission just lately. Edward Elric was up in front, not noticing what was going on behind him. He then stopped, and then turned to Chaoji, his eyebrow raised.

"Is something wrong?" He asked politely, alarming Chaoji very much. Krory was slightly bristled.

"N-Nothing," Chaoji shook his head furiously. Ed then frowned.

"If there's anything you need to talk about, you can always ask," Ed smiled and then turned around promptly. Krory sighed. This boy was almost acting as if he were a replacement for Allen Walker. Ever since this teenager and his younger brother and master stepped foot onto the headquarters, the place was a lot more lively than it had ever been. Somehow he hated that fact, and sometimes he was quite happy. But Allen Walker was Allen Walker. No one can replace him. Ed probably was just some kind inspector stopping by, and he'd go away, and Home would be so uneventful and dreary again. Yes. He and Chaoji should give the boy a chance.

* * *

_"Here's the mission," Komui put on his serious face as he pointed to the country of Italy on the map. "There have been sightings in a small village of a ghost that wanders the graveyard of that village. The abnormalities have been attributed to a man named Majihal. Many people have disappeared because of the ghost, they claim."_

_Komui's information was met with complete silence before someone stood up._

_"Sounds like a hoax," Ed sighed. "But we'll go check it."_

_"Oh, and take this," Roy tossed small bundle of cloth to Ed, who caught it easily. "You just might need it."_

* * *

fEd stared dismissively at the cloth package. He knew exactly what was in there, but he dared not question it. Roy always had his reasons, so be it.

The train ride ended quickly, and the four boarded off the train. Immediately, they were caught off guard by a masked man running past them, a gun in hand and a purse in hand. Chaoji's breath hitched as he looked around, and then noticed that Ed had gone. Kanda was taking flank from behind and was rushing away, and Krory followed Kanda. Chaoji had no choice but to follow.

They cornered the thug on the streets of the train station, Ed on one side, and the three other Exorcists on the other side. The thug was cornered like a little mouse, and he then pointed his gun at Ed.

"I wouldn't shoot if I were you," Kanda began dangerously, unsheathing his Mugen and about ready to strike. Ed took a deep breath and clapped his hands, producing a fascinating hum to Chaoji's ears. Ed stooped down and slammed the hands to the floor, and a crackle of blue electricity caused poles of concrete to spring form the ground and form a tall cage. The gun was easily disarmed by a pole running past the thug's hand, and he was left hopeless.

"I think you're the one who crawled out of the crib too early," Ed smirked at the man in the cage.

"Foolhardy Exorcists!" The thug smiled, and he exploded to a mere level Two, and before the demon could calculate its next move, Krory and Chaoji went in and destroyed the Akuma before it could do anything. The Akuma exploded and a great deal of dust showered above them. Chaoji looked at Ed again. So this boy had Innocence, too…

"Oh, are you people Exorcists?" A man's voice made them turn around.

"Yes, we are," Krory answered. Usually Krory had to answer most questions whenever on a mission. Chaoji was the inexperienced one, and Kanda tended to be rude and silent. Ed, was probably new to this, but little did Krory and Chaoji know…

"Edward Elric!"

The three Exorcists watched as Ed began to shiver uncontrollably in fear.

"Oh… damn…"

"Edward Elric!!!" A big giant buffy man stomped up to the blonde, looking down, since the height difference was just so easily seen. His mouth was covered by a curly, whiskery blond mustache, his hair almost bald, with single look of curly blond hair sticking up from his head. The man's bright blue eyes were almost girly, and Krory was immediately reminded to Majoha, the woman who served as Anita's right hand woman.

"Hi, Major Armstrong," Ed stuttered, but before he could say anything else, the man pulled the boy into a back-splitting hug, crushing poor Ed. Ed's feet were dangling in the air as he was lifted a foot off the ground.

"You've been gone for so long!!!" Armstrong bellowed. Krory and Chaoji sweatdropped. Wait… was that emotional tears coming from the big man?

"M-Ma-Major…" Ed choked out the few words, and everyone at the station was staring.

"Oh! My apologies, Edward," Armstrong let go, and Ed fell to the floor, gagging and coughing.

"Edward!" A female voice made him jump. "Are you okay?!"

Ed turned around and saw a woman with dark brown hair in a boyish cut and a beauty mark under her left eye.

"Ross!" He cried, and she stopped before him. The woman then looked up at Armstrong.

"Be careful when you give Edward a welcome back."

"That was nothing, really…" Edward sighed. "I get crushed a lot of times…"

"Edward!!" A young man's voice made everyone look over to the next direction, and they saw a man with sandy brown hair.

"Brosh! You're here, too!" Ed chuckled.

"Reporting for duty, sir," Brosh saluted Ed, since Ed was of higher rank, but the boy waved it away. Armstrong began to eye Kanda, and his Exorcist uniform.

"Who are these Exorcist friends?" He asked, and Kanda began to glare once he realized that the big buffy was staring at him.

"These are one of the best from the Order," Ed introduced them. "This is Kanda, this is Chaoji, and here's Krory."

"Oh!!" Armstrong smiled. "It's nice to see you all! I'm so glad to meet you!!!"

"Chief!!!" Ross pushed Armstrong away from the nervous Exorcists. "Don't go hugging the Chief!"

Kanda then raised an eyebrow. "So you three Finders are part of the Silver Shield, too?"

"Absolutely!" Ross showed her uniform under her black longcoat. The uniform was a navy blue version of the Exorcist uniform, just that instead of gold, there was silver. The crest of the Black Order was different, though, since there was a lion that was inscribed under the cross.

"Where's the outpost for the Shield here?" Kanda then continued to ask.

"We're well on our way." Brosh began. "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Edward," Kanda asked gruffly. "Who are these people?"

"Oh, right," Ed smiled. "Armstrong here is one of Master's subordinates back at Central. Brosh and Ross here are mine. I don't have as much as Master does, though. I'm kinda new at office life."

* * *

Kanda tilted his head slightly. The outpost for the Silver Shield here was almost the same as the one he and Al had visited, but this one had more navy blue and silver tapestry than the first one. Brosh was looking in Kanda's direction and grinned as if he read the samurai's mind.

"Yeah…" He said outwardly. "This base is a bit older than most of the others in Europe. Edward and Alphonse had assisted in the construction of this very base. It used to be a small village, but ever since this base was built, the families of Shield members have moved here to stay close to family. It's now a pretty good booming city. Guess that's all our fault, isn't it?"

Kanda looked at Brosh and then nodded as he continued to follow Ed and the others into the conference room.

"Take your seats," Ross commanded to Chaoji and Krory, and Kanda, too. Normally, they would question her for authority, but since she was an acquaintance of Edward Elric and a Finder from Central's Silver Shield, it was best for them to stay quiet and obey.

Ed took his seat of his own accord and faced Armstrong at the front of the room.

"The briefing, if you please," Ed smiled. Kanda raised an eyebrow. Somehow, Ed seemed to be completely polite to those in the Silver Shield. It was safe to assume that obviously Ed had lived with them for a longer time than with the Order. Goodness! He could compare this shorty to the beansprout we all know. They can be polite gentlemen, mean, nasty teenagers, or fierce fighters whenever they want to be. A man of many faces, one could say.

"Yes, Edward," Armstrong bowed. "Apparently, just recently in the town we are currently in right now, people in the town have reported sightings of a ghost in the form of a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She roams the streets at night, they say. They claim that it is the ghost of a young florist who used to sell blue roses."

"Blue roses?" Chaoji spoke up. "Isn't that impossible?"

"Apparently it's true," Ross answered. "We were checking in on this case before you came, and we visited the said woman's grave here. As a matter of fact, we actually found blue roses growing around the grave."

She placed a fresh rose, and surprisingly, the petals were azure blue. It didn't matter if the lighting in the room could change the perception of color. The rose was actually blue, no doubt about it. Ed eyed the flower a moment, and turned it over, and then looked at Ross.

"You saw a rose plant growing around the grave, or did you just dip this in blue dye?"

"It's the real deal, sir," Ross nodded. "We don't know much about the story, but there should be someone in town who knows."

"The thing we're worried about most," Armstrong continued. "Is the fact that people have been disappearing frequently these days and never come back. I believe the ghost and the vanishings are the work of Innocence and Akuma, respectively. It's about time you boys got here. Otherwise, casualties would be worse."

"Now," Ross caught their attention again. "When I said we'll find someone who knows the story, we'll be visiting him tonight. We met him during our investigations at the cemetery. He seems to be really close to this woman who had passed away."

"His name, Ross," Ed asked. "Can you give me his name?"

"His name is Majahal," said Ross. "He apparently has no surname."

"Then we should get going," Ed got up from his seat. "I'm sure a lot of us want a good night's rest back at the Order really soon. Isn't that right, Kanda?"

Kanda gave a small snort of discontent that Ed actually cared for him, and stalked out of the room. Ed sweatdropped and smiled politely to the baffled Finders.

"That's his way of saying 'Yes,'" Ed explained. "He likes to bottle up his feelings a lot. I hope you guys understand."

"Not to worry," Armstrong looked with understanding. "Isn't Scar like that, too? I'm admired that you can tell the feelings of subordinates and allies alike, Edward."

"Hey, well, what can I say?" Ed smiled. "You can actually learn a few tricks or two from my idiot Master."

Chaoji and Krory were beginning to loosen up around Edward as they watched his loose personality.

"Um… Edward?" Chaoji asked, and Ed looked at him, acknowledging his attention.

"Yes?"

"When do we go?"

Ed reached in the pockets of his jacket and procured a silver watch. "In about five minutes. I'll need Ross, Brosh, and Armstrong prepared to go out."

"Oh," Krory nodded. "Thank you, Edward."

"Call me Ed," the younger boy smiled. "I'm not a big fan of the formal."

He immediately brushed past all of them after Kanda, and Krory was silent, along with Chaoji.

"Surprised?" Armstrong's bold voice alarmed them for a second.

"Y-Yes…" Krory stammered. "Very much."

"Well, Edward tends to do that," Armstrong smiled. "Well, more like he has to. If he doesn't behave, he gets a lively conversation with his brother's teacher Izumi Curtis."

Krory began to wonder what the burly man really meant, but was interrupted by Ross.

"We should get going. First stop is the cemetery."

* * *

Chaoji and Krory, as much as they've been to a bunch of cemeteries during their mission, they could never still get over the fact they're walking on land that had dead people under their feet. Ross, Brosh, and Ed were up ahead, one of them holding a lantern in the pitch black night. This time of day scared the two even more.

"Here, look," Maria pointed. "This is the grave we were talking about."

"Indeed," Armstrong nodded.

The marble plaque read an unidentified name Ed could not make out, but he saw… blue roses hanging from the gravestone.

A small crack of a disturbed twig caught everyone's attention, and they spun around to see who it was.

"Who's there!?" Kanda demanded in a rough manner.

"S-Sorry!" A young man's voice timidly replied, and out clambered a young man himself, his cheeks sweaty, and his brown hair in complete disarray.

"What brings you here, Joe?" Brosh asked. Joe sighed and panted.

"I was coming to visit the grave of my friend," He gasped out the answer. "But… I saw you guys and got real nervous. Sorry to scare you."

"You know anyone by the name of Majahal, by any chance?" Ed jumped to the question. Asking a local around here would be a lot helpful…

The man shuddered as he answered the question… "He lives outside town, but… you really don't want to go up there, boys. I've heard this town's become a dangerous place. They say that he raises people from the dead and brings the villagers to them."

The Exorcist's eyes flickered with interest.

"Why does it remind me of the Earl?" Chaoji suggested.

"Krory, Brosh, and Armstrong," Ed began his command. "You guys patrol the town for anything suspicious. Should you find anything, contact me by golem. Or send a shout, just do something, kay? Meanwhile, Kanda, Chaoji, and Ross will be off to see Majahal. I think a little visit will do, and if _we_ need anything, we'll call for you guys. Understood?"

"Yes, Major!" Brosh and Ross saluted in a military way, and Armstrong nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's get going." Ed smiled, and he turned on his heel followed by the people he designated to come with him. They picked up a carriage on the way there, too.

* * *

The Exorcists were wearing black coats, save for Ed, of course, who always wore his trademark red longcoat instead. The cart reached the a small countryside road before coming to a complete stop. Immediately after, they all hopped off, one by one.

"Are you all right, Ed?" Chaoji asked, and Ed was massaging his poor back.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy," Ed's cranky self sarcastically replied. "I just love turbulent carriage rides and seats as soft as granite. Hey, Kanda, didn't it bother you at all?"

"No," Kanda answered flatly and walked on ahead. Ed sighed in frustration that the aching pain wouldn't go away, and then stopped short. He turned and saw several picnic tables empty in the clearing of trees, but set with newly lit candles.

"Well, would you look at that?" Ed exclaimed. "Someone's thrown a party, with torches and everything, but they forgot to invite us."

"We haven't been around here for three months," Ross clued in, tugging on her hood. "And-"

A big crackled of bright yellow fireworks erupted behind the four of them, and Ed and Chaoji began to shudder at the sound.

"That one came a bit too close to the town…" A girl's voice came up from behind him. Then a gasped followed. "Hey! You're not supposed to be here!!! This place is off limits. You could get yourself killed!"

Ed clenched his teeth. How many times… Just how many times does he have to deal with angsty children?! Well, that's hypocritical, considering that he is one himself…

Ed turned around with his irritated look on his face.

"… testing in the middle of fireworks for the-"

"Yeah! We've noticed that!!!" Ed snarled, and Kanda didn't turn his face on them just yet. The teenage girl, seventeen, and surprisingly, was dressed up like a boy! Her hair was tucked under her newsboy hat, and she wore green vest over a light green blouse, along with brown pants.

"For the festival." The girl ended her sentence. "And I'm in charge."

She then took a closer look at Ed and sighed. "Let me guess, you're not from these parts, are you?"

Kanda then felt a twinge of discomfort as he was being poked on the side by a young boy who looked up at his angry eyes.

"Who is this person?" The boy asked. "I've never seen some girl who would look so manly…"

The man's hand was slapped away by the angry samurai.

"Quit it!" He snarled. The girl immediately smirked in a way that made everyone see that she was planning something.

"Show 'em how we welcome… strangers…" The cross-dressing girl smirked, and Ed narrowed his eyes. Kanda was getting really ticked off as he was preparing to unsheathe his Mugen. Chaoji and Krory sweatdropped at the former two's temper, and was rushing in when a taller boy, Ed's age, came rushing in, and pouncing on Ed. Ed's eyes quickly sharpened as he grabbed the jumping boy by the scruff of the neck and pulled him into a neck lock, and simultaneously, taking out an item from the package Roy had given him, the familiarly angled knife.

"You should be careful when you get sassy with strangers…" Ed began in a dangerous voice, while Kanda fully drawn his sword before them, causing the children to shiver in fear. Chaoji and Ross sweatdropped again. Man… these two boys were just so hard to control sometimes…

"Claire!" Ross began to tighten down on discipline. "Just what do you think you were doing, setting off your friends against an Exorcist? Correct that, two of them?!"

Claire's eyes widened in shock and she began apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry!!!"

"Oh…" Ed slacked his grip and let the boy go. "It's my fault, too… for losing my temper like that… I promise it won't happen again."

Ross sweatdropped again. _You always say that!!!_

"Well, we need to keep on with the fireworks!" Claire smiled. "And if you're looking for Majahal, he's that way…"

"Who's she?" Krory asked. Armstrong leaned over to answer.

"She's Claire, Majahal's niece."

* * *

They stopped before a small cottage, and Ed let his hood slide down for a moment.

"Wow." Ed sighed. "Looks pretty homey to me."

Indeed the small home looked like Ed's short description. A chimney on one side of the roof was billowing towers of smoke from a supposedly crackling fireplace. The glow from that fireplace was illuminating from the curtained windows, fading in and out once in a while. Red shingles dotted the rooftop, and whitewashed walls on the outer layer of the house were the exterior of the house.

Ross took a deep breath as she knocked lightly on the door, and a shuffle of footsteps could be heard. The door opened and an elderly man peered through the small opening made by the door. His eyes seemed to be wearing out from lack of sleep, and his hair was matted brown. His eyes seemed somewhat unfocused and gray, and he wore simplistic attire: a decent pair of pants, a white puffed blouse, and brown vest.

"Sorry to intrude, sir…" Ross smiled warmly, and the man lightened.

"Oh! It's no problem, Ross, dear," He allowed all four of them to step inside. "It must be very cold outside. Please hurry through."

"You must be Majahal, right?" Ed asked. The man nodded to the question as he came in with several cups of tea and an accompanying teapot, all packed on one tray. He gave them each one cup and took the final one for his own as they settled on the large dinner table he had in the spacious living room.

"Majahal…" Ed frowned. "We would like to ask about the Legend of the Blue Rose the folks talk about here…"

Straight and to the point, like Kanda, Chaoji observed. Apparently, Ed had many sides similar to the other Exorcists. A great heart for others, like Lenalee, a steely side, like Kanda, and a resolve to save Akuma from suffering, like Allen.

"Your friends…" Majahal turned to Ross. "They're quite charming… boys like these tend to jump to conclusions, no?"

"Well… um…" Ross was about to answer.

A moderately loud rapping on the door alerted everyone as Majahal calmly got off of his seat and opened the front door. An elderly woman, just as old as he was, was standing before him, her hair surprisingly still brown, with some graying in it, but her face earning wrinkles from old age.

"Hello, Mr. Majahal," She smiled tenderly and held out a small jar of glass. "I've made a batch of rose jam and had some extra, so perhaps I thought you might enjoy."

Majahal smiled back. "Of course, you spoil me, Lenny. You're too kind."

She tucked her head in a small nod, laughing nervously. "Not at all…"

Majahal looked up at her with doubtful eyes, but kept the kind smile on. "Was there something else, then?"

"N-No…" was the answer she stammered. "I'm sorry. Excuse me…"

"Well, all right. Take care."

The door closed softly, and Ed began to look in a strange way at the woman who departed the steps and off down the hill.

"So…" Chaoji began, finding his inner confidence he earned from his first missions long ago. "What is it about this festival that's taking place here?"

"Ah," Majahal smiled. "It's called the Requiem Festival. It's when the spirits of the dead are sent up on fireworks to be returned to heaven to where they belong."

"And what about these rumors we heard about the dead coming back to life…" Kanda added.

"Yeah," Ed followed. "And as murderous zombies on a bloody rampage? Did that have anything to do with this festival?"

Majahal chuckled. "Silly rumors of a superstitious town."

Apparently, Majahal seemed to be getting lots and lots of visitors these days, since a gentle rapping on the door came through, and he opened the door again.

"Claire?" Majahal was alarmed by the teenage girl at the door.

"I'm sorry… and…" She noticed the four people inside and glared at Ed and Kanda. "I was going to ask for some help on the fireworks…"

"We can help!" Ross got up from her seat. "Come on boys, let's go."

They followed young Claire along the path back to where they first met. Several boys were crowding around many fireworks, and were trying to get the wiring correct.

"Oh, great!!!" One of them complained. "We can't use this one anymore! This one has a cut wire! We can't fix it!"

"I can." Ed's voice startled them all. The boy frowned.

"Hey… aren't you the boy who tackled Peter an hour ago?"

After that they had a pretty swell time, fixing fireworks and setting them up. Krory then had a small burning question to ask Brosh.

"Why do you address Ed as Major, or Chief?"

Brosh laughed. "You're pretty new about the Silver Shield, aren't you? Well, the Silver Shield is ranked just like the army. By default, all Alchemic Exorcists are at the rank of Major. I'm still a Sergeant, since as Finder, you start at the very bottom, and I mean the very bottom. Roy Mustang is a Colonel. Hughes is Lieutenant Colonel. Hawkeye is Lieutenant… and so on so forth. It's kinda weird, though…"

They watched some boys talking to each other as well, while Claire was directing everyone to jobs and helping along as well.

"Quit chatting and get to work!!" Claire snapped, and she turned to the Exorcists she was helping. "Well, these damn boys are plain jerks sometimes, you just have to deal with them for now."

"Who are you callin' a jerk!" Another boy, but taller, shouted.

"You, idiot!!!" Claire began a heated argument so easily it escalated to oaths and everyone sweatdropping at the sight.

"Well what would you sister think if you swore right now?!"

"Shut up!" Claire shouted at the boy, showing that she broke. "You aren't the one who lost her sister to a ghost freak!!! Shove off, you damn jerk!!!"

She raced off to the rest of the path. Ed sighed before Ross could say anything.

"Okay, I'll go…"

* * *

"Hey!! Wait up!!!" Ed was chasing after Claire as she ran her frustration out by running aimlessly. Kanda had no point to go along, but went anyways. Claire tried to spin around, but she immediately tripped off the path and was tumbling down into the river, but Ed's reflexes were better.

He clapped his hands and placed them on the grass, and a trail of ice began to appear down and reach the river, freezing it to the condition where Claire could softly land and not break the ice. She slowly got up, shocked by Ed's ability.

"T-This…" She gasped. "This is your power as an Exorcist?"

"Yeah… Now could you calmly tell us about your sister?" Ed asked. "If you tell us, I'm sure if you could help us solve the mystery around here…"

She nodded and was helped back up by Kanda, surprisingly. She took a seat beside Ed on the grass. Kanda kept himself standing, listening in if necessary.

"It was five months ago when my sister died…" Claire began. "I'm still surprised the Earl was unable to find me… Well, we had no idea how or why… one of the villagers found her when she was asleep, but she wasn't asleep."

Ed listened intently, and so did Kanda.

"And then," Claire added. "On the night of her funeral… My father and I saw a strange woman with long flowing brown hair, and deep brown eyes… My father was so shocked at what he saw, and he whispered, 'Karin.' I asked her who she was, and his answer was that she was a woman who used to live in this town a long time ago before she died… Don't you see? From there it was hard to put it all together… The dead lady came back to life and killed my sister! And others, too! It's all because of her!"

She then turned to Ed and Kanda. "But you're Exorcists, right? You should know about phenomenon like this! Maybe you could help avenge my sister's death! I've begged Majahal to help me, but he kept saying no… What do you say?"

Ed turned back to the frozen river again. "I can see why Majahal wouldn't consider it…"

Kanda nodded in agreement, and Claire gasped as Ed got up to pace.

"The theory's as logical as a ghost's tale," Ed began. "I'm sorry, Claire, but I don't prefer using revenge as a motivations for everything I do. As much as I fight Akuma, you could say one could avenge those whom the Akuma killed, but I don't see it that way… And Majahal… he cares for your safety as your uncle… I'm sure he will not want to give your life up for the Earl to tamper with…"

Claire then stomped her foot. "You're just saying that because you're a bunch of chickens!! Posing as Exorcists when you're really a pipsqueak and a manly girl!"

"Pipsqueak?"

"Girl?"

The two of them immediately got angry.

"Geh!!! Nobody calls me a pipsqueak and gets away with it!!!"

"Let me cut off your head with Mugen here!"

"I won't!! Not even a little girl!!!"

Claire decided that it was fun to play with their minds. "Oh really? Gosh I'm so terrified of the whiny little pipsqueak…"

Crack.

"Shut up and take a good look at yourself, and I'll say it!!!" Ed ranted. "If you're a girl, then why do you look like a paper boy?!"

Oopsie Daisies…

"None of your business!!!" Claire angrily kicked dirt in his face and ran off, leaving him hacking away.

"Damnit!!!" Ed was enraged, and then he fell face down on the ground. "And I though we were supposed to help her!"

**A/N: Well, this week, early update, so double chapter again this week, to pick up the pace. Wow! So Kanda looks too OOC. Anyways, if some may have noticed, I am currently not posting anything (or anything cool) on my DeviantArt page for a while, because, I'm testing this hand-drawn animation thing. What I'm trying to animate is something with -Man characters. Whether or not I'll finish it is pending. Details and progress announcements will come later. Maybe possible if I posted on DA some parts of the mini project. And rejoice!! I have decided to never EVER kill Hughes in this story! Even if Envy will appear, we'll have someone else finish the guy up, not Roy... if not Roy... what would you say if I said Allen will be the one to defeat Envy!? With Ed's help, of course... review!**


	13. A Forger's Love

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 13 – The Blue Rose**

* * *

The next day consisted of rants from Ed about Claire calling him a pipsqueak, and Kanda was as cranky as ever. Apparently, he refused to eat at the cafeteria since the chef there refused to make soba, because he didn't know how. Then Armstrong came in and tore his shirt off and began to cook real soba, prancing on about how cooking international varieties of food was passed down the Armstrong family for generations… (Hey… this ring a bell?) Kanda had grumpily accepted the soba, and ate it silently.

"Where to?" Ed asked. "Tourism?"

"No," Ross sternly remarked against Ed's sense of humor. "We're going to see Majahal again. He has some answers we need."

* * *

"Ah, yes," Majahal smiled. "Karin… I remember her…"

Ed, Ross, Krory, Kanda, and Chaoji sat down listening.

"She was a well-known florist around these parts, and the exquisite beauty of her flowers were surpassed only by her own. I can't believe it's been twenty years now…"

Majahal looked the plain daylight past the window. "She had recently succeeded in cultivating the extremely rare blue rose…"

With an amused sigh, he continued. "Oh, the woman's smile at the time was simply… but then… on her way to deliver her… by then, famous, blue roses into town… Her wagon broke down, and so she fell down to her death that day, and out of all of our lives forever…"

Ed raised an eyebrow. "But they say a same woman named Karin has been terrorizing the villagers."

Majahal looked up fiercely and used a soft voice. "Absolutely impossible. We both know that the dead don't simply come back to life."

Ed was about to say something but said nothing.

Majahal continued. "And even if you knew Karin at all, you'd know that she wouldn't do things to harm anyone in life or death."

Kanda and Ed frowned. Majahal then got up.

"Well, I need to get some groceries form the town. I'll trust the house to you for the moment, kay?"

The moment the door closed behind him, Ed looked up. Kanda and Chaoji did the same. A strange piercing shriek echoed softly in the house.

* * *

"So what do you think, guys?" Ross asked as they were back at the outpost.

"Well," Kanda frowned. "I don't buy anything ghost or zombies or the living dead."

"But," Ed added. "Suppose the Earl was able to summon someone from the dead… But the no one would be able to do that around here. We have no Exorcists…"

"Contractors…" Armstrong added. "Those who work for the Earl. It could be anyone around the town. A search party can prove difficult."

"Um… guys?" Chaoji raised a hand, and everyone turned to him. Brosh smiled.

"What is it?"

"I remember hearing a strange screeching sound from behind an unopened door behind the corridor in Majahal's home. You heard it, right, Ed? Kanda?"

"Yeah." Ed nodded. Kanda only nodded and said nothing. Chaoji continued his thoughts.

"Maybe we should check there again. I think Majahal could be the contractor, or even the Akuma."

"Akuma?" Brosh turned blue. "Uh-oh…"

"Well, let's get back to the graveyard again," Ed got up. "And retrace our steps from there. "That way, we'll be able to get back on track again."

* * *

Being a young slender girl at age seventeen, Claire tended to hind her body behind baggy clothing as she sat in a pub her father worked at. She was adjusting the paper boy hat on her head as her friends gave uncomfortable looks at her.

"You sure you're through with this, Clare?" One of them asked.

"I have to," Claire frowned. "And yes, we're going catch this Karin zombie on our own, cause no one else is going to do it for us. I've managed to snag a gun from Dad's room, so we can use it."

Another sighed in exasperation, and Claire slammed her hands down on the table.

"What?!" She demanded. "You wussing out on me?! If this keeps up, someone else will get killed!! And it could be you!"

"Yeah…" the boy tried to reason. "But what if-"

A clatter of a plate on the floor alarmed the teenagers, and her father was getting a bit ticked off. An elderly woman, as for you readers know, the same Lenny, was staring at a broken plate on the floor.

"Hey, woman!" The man at the counter snapped. "What are you trying to do? Give me an ulcer?"

"I…I'm sorry…"

Claire then looked back at her friends. "So we'll make our move tonight. We've got two hours… got that?"

* * *

All seven of Black Order and Shield members made their way throught the graveyard again.

"Guys!!!" Brosh whined. "Wait for me!!!"

"What's with you, Brosh?" Ed asked. "You scared?"

Brosh straightened. _NO!!! I must be bold before my boss! Otherwise he might demote me!!! I don't want to be a Finder again!!!_

"No! I'm not scared." He answered, and then cowered slightly. "There aren't any zombies around here, are there?"

"Admit it," Kanda growled. "You're scared."

"Don't be think, Brosh," Ed looked straight forward. "If there were was a Karin roaming these woods, that would only be thanks to Akuma or something, which is the only reason we're here- GAH!!"

Kanda had little time to calculate as he found himself walking on no ground, and tumbling after Ed, Krory, and Chaoji into a pit trap. Brosh swung his arms too much and toppled in.

"Yeah!!! We got her!!!" A cluster of boys rushed over to the trap. Claire was amongst them, too. She hoped to see the ghost woman, but instead she say a dog pile of people on top of Ed.

"O-Ow…" Ed groaned… "M-My… back…

"Oh," She sighed. "False alarm!"

"C-Claire?" One of the boys began to shiver, and pointed to the sight before them. Claire's eyes widened as her grip on the hidden gun tightened.

There was the ghost woman, apparently slightly transparent, but with the same look over and over again. Brown hair… dark brown eyes… and this time she wore a white sundress and yellow ribbon…

The boys were so scared they ran away, leaving Claire behind with the Exorcists.

She immediately drew her gun to shoot, but her aim was so bad it missed and grazed a plaque of marble instead. Then a series of shots fired behind her, and each struck the ghost woman, the bullets intact inside the apparition. Claire turned and saw Ross, with her own gun held out. The barrel smoked from the sheer speed of her bullets and she put it away. Everyone who fell into the pit trap got out, thanks to Ed's alchemy, and they watched the ghost woman stand there, unmoving.

"It's an Akuma, all right…" Armstrong frowned. "But it's strange…"

Immediately, the ghost burst into flames, producing a screeching sound from its lips as the licking embers clashed with the soul, and the it collapsed like burnt charcoal to the ground.

Chaoji gasped in realization. "That… sound… it screeched… again…"

"Are you all right?" Majahal, was rushing in, sweating on his damp forehead. Claire was still dumbfounded by the scene, and stared with unmoving eyes.

"What was that?" Ed asked.

"It looks like it self-destructed," Ross described. Kanda kept staring.

"If the beansprout were here," Krory began. "We would've known by now."

"I don't know…" Majahal sighed. "But I wish I knew… All I did was through a matchstick at the ghost. I didn't think it would work, though."

Ed and Kanda looked up. Something was off… How come he was here so easily?

They looked at each other. They're going to get this case down for sure.

* * *

The festival began with flashing lights. Ross, Armstrong, Krory, Chaoji, and Brosh were enjoying themselves as they talked. They had told Ed and Kanda that they should leave the case off for just one night and were here at the picnic tables Ed saw earlier, watching the sky light up and pronouncing toasts with the other adults.

"To Majahal! A real hero!" A villager shouted.

"Yeah, Majahal!"

"Thanks to you, the ghost lady is gone for good."

They were congratulating Majahal, who sat at a table only to be swarmed by many villagers to be praised for getting rid the ghost woman. Krory then noticed something.

"Wait…" He turned to Brosh. "You've seen Edward and Kanda anywhere?"

* * *

"Oi, short stack," Kanda frowned. "What are we doing?"

"What else?" Ed snapped back. "We're going to find the source of that sound. And don't call me short stack."

"Whatever," Kanda shook it off, and Ed opened the door that Majahal never opened. They walked down a long corridor that seemed like a mysterious jungle of cardboard boxes lying around, then they stopped short, feeling a strange presence before them.

"Majahal would be very cross if he finds out that you're here." An old lady's voice made them take a step back. Ed and Kanda then recognized it. The lady was Lenny, the one who gave Majahal rose jam the other night.

"He doesn't like it when people snoop around his home."

"OH?" Ed challenged her, "And what do you call what you're doing?"

Kanda kept his furious eyes on the old woman, noticing a small glow of blue in her hair, but he didn't pay attention to that. The woman didn't answer and she merely stood there with the candle in her hands and she seemed to be waiting. Kanda's impatience grew.

"Answer, lady!"

But Lenny did something else instead. She rose the candle in parallel to Ed's eyes, and Ed began to experience a strange sensation in his body as it began to shake furiously.

A quick intake of breath at the sight of the candlelight and another strange power made Ed stagger and rack his brain painfully. Kanda noticed an abnormality and tried to reach for Ed before he crashed down, but Ed leaned sideways and hit a loose door instead, which he opened by accident and fell down. Although his eyes were bleary, he looked up and saw what he least expected. Dolls. Many dolls, but with the same exact face and features. The face… was so familiar… Brown hair… brown narrow dark eyes… where did he see it?!

"What the hell…?"

Ed immediately collapsed on the floor of the next room the next moment. Kanda gasped.

"Oi, short stack!" He shouted. "Get up!"

He then shuddered and turned to see Majahal with a strange wristband glowing red. He himself stumbled slightly and he saw the nasty grin on the man's face.

"D-Damn… you…" Kanda snarled as he began to lose vision and clattered to the hardwood ground. Majahal grinned as Lenny looked at the two unconscious boys with sympathy.

"Now, they will make good sacrifices, will they, Lenny?"

"Y-Yes… Majahal…"

"Get me a chain, Lenny."

"Y-Yes…"

* * *

"Maria?"

Ed's subordinate looked down at the teenage girl she had befriended for so long.

"Yes, Claire?"

"I want to go thank Majahal for what he's done earlier. He left to his home already to get some peace. Can you come with me? I don't like going in the dark alone."

Ross smiled. "Of course. Say… why don't we bring Armstrong, Brosh, and the other two along. I'm sure they're in for some quiet, no?"

Claire smiled.

"Don't worry," Ross smiled. "You're in safe hands. If you want to talk to him on your own, We'll wait outside for you."

* * *

Ed slowly opened his groggy eyes and began to stir quite noisily. He was inside the same room again, except in another location.

"Oi, short stack," Kanda's voice snapped him from his daze. "You awake?"

"Barely," Ed groaned.

"At last," Majahal's voice made them look up in the dim lighting. "You're awake. It appears you have stumbled across something you should have never seen, Edward Elric, and Kanda Yuu."

Ed and Kanda began to remember everything that they saw before they were tied up. It couldn't be… it couldn't be…

"Oh," Ed started. "You mean… your so-called zombies? Yeah, I saw your toys! This is a work of Innocence, ain't it?"

"Toys?" Majahal taunted. "No, they're canvases for spirit attachments. You see, I have an Innocence right here in my brain…"

He pointed to the small of his head. Ed gasped.

"Alchemic Innocence!"

"And it allows me knowledge of how to bond souls to inanimate objects, granting the soul freedom of mobility and tangibility in another entity. The mannequins you see here are the ones I use to carve souls in exact replicas of my beautiful Karin onto which I bind the soul of any village girl I can snare on. In doing so, I make living versions of my fallen love."

"But ripping souls out of someone?!" Kanda shouted. "That is not the ideal of Innocence!"

"Oh, I almost forgot," The strange man cackled. "Your friend Chaoji was correct. I am a contractor of the Earl. I have been granted more possibilities to enhancing my Innocence because of dark matter. Now pulling souls is much more efficient."

"It's shocking that plan ever went awry," Ed's eyebrows knitted together.

"It is true that souls tend to reject foreign vessels that are unlike them in nature," Majahal explained. "They usually tend to malfunction, even with Innocence. That's why Alchemic Innocence combined with Dark Matter is so special."

Kanda grit his teeth, finding a way to help himself and Ed, but no avail. Ed apparently was bound in a way he couldn't perform alchemy.

"Some of my dolls escaped, running free about the village, fueling superstition," Majahal kept on. Ed jerked at the chains, and Kanda growled at the other for having pulled the chain from him as he was trying to break it.

"You crazy selfish nutcase!!" Ed shouted. "Do you even know what you've done?! Why the hell did you do it?!"

Majahal looked down at the floor avoiding Ed's glare.

"For the same reason any man that has doing something that is visionary. Karin was the only woman I have ever loved. Even years after her death, my scars refused to heal. Of course, the Earl tracked me down and asked me if I wanted to see Karin again, but once he realized my Innocence, he decided to see if you would come after me by making me his spy, granting me access to Dark Matter when necessary, and he told me a good plan to get Karin back myself."

Kanda grasped the chain again, trying to break the small link.

"So I committed myself to bringing her back, using the only talents I had at my disposal, Alchemy to perform human transmutation." He then sighed. "But after my failed attempt and the Earl's generous offer of Dark Matter, the least I could do was create something that resembled her beauty. I did it for love."

"So you chose body or soul…" Ed disagreed with the man's ideas. "That's sick."

"Shut up," the man clambered forward and slapped Ed full on the face. Lenny, who hid in the shadows, winced as Ed panted heavily. Kanda's face for the first time was beaded with sweat. If Majahal plans to do anything serious, they've got to get out, quick!

"You're only a child," Majahal taunted the other Exorcist behind him and backhanded the captive blond, making the boy's head crank the other direction from his original position.

"You're only a child," he repeated. "How could you possibly understand love?!"

He then lifted Ed by the collar and held the boy's face to his, a nasty grin on his lips. Kanda took full brute of it, feeling his hands pulled back at more discomforting levels, but his hand still on a link of the chain. Ed's feet barely reached the ground. The hand on the collar then moved to Ed's neck, and he began to choke a bit. Ed had been through this before, and he never wanted it again, but all that harsh treatment five years ago had hardened his ability to survive, so his breathing patterns seemed quite normal even with the viper grip on his windpipe.

"But," The man continued. "You do know something about Alchemy, and now you're going to help me with the attachment of another creation of mine."

Ed spat in his face. "Yeah, right!"

Another sickening crack, but this time a punch, made Ed grunt in pain as Kanda felt his arms pulled back even more. Damn! He thought. How the hell was he going to loosen these chains if his work keeps getting interrupted?!

"It figures," Majahal kept on. "You're just as stubborn as your father."

Ed struggled against the man's grip on his neck. "What the hell do you know about the bastard?!"

"Aha," Majahal smiled. "He was the man who gave this Innocence Fragment, and this happened after Karin's death. I asked if he wanted me to use it to bring her back with it, but he said no, and didn't want to help me. So yes, you're stubborn. If not more so, your father, The Eastern Sage, was."

Kanda wondered at the term the Eastern Sage. But a creaking of a door alarmed them. Ed was getting tired of the abuse to his head, and ever since he had woken up, he was still quite drowsy, but he could see.

"Majahal… I just wanted… to thank you for earlier…"

It was Claire, watching with wide eyes, as she saw Majahal choking Ed. Ed was quite dazed from a few blows as if Majahal had hit him up a bit before she came. Kanda was opposite head, back to back, but slightly standing as the two's hands were chained together, and his head was bowed, allowing his side bangs to hid away his concentrated eyes as he was trying to free himself.

"Ed…? Kanda? W-What's going on?"

* * *

"What's taking Claire so long?" Brosh complained. He really liked the food they had back at the festival, he wanted more. Krory and Chaoji patiently tapped their feet. Ross frowned.

"Yes… she has been taking too long. It shouldn't take her long to go look for Majahal in such a small house in the first place…"

She then gasped when she recalled what Ed and Kanda discussed earlier.

_"I remember the screeching sound twice now… We should see about that house some time soon…"_

"Come on, boys!" She drew her gun and prepared it. "We're going in."

* * *

Ed snapped into action, but Majahal managed to throw him, along with Kanda, at a nearby wall, leaving a cracked imprint on the plaster surface. Claire was quite shocked, indeed. Why would Majahal do such a thing.

"Run!!! Clause!!! Don't let him get to you!!" Ed mustered up strength to yell. Claire stopped herself from paralysis as she saw the man pounce on her. Immediately, she side-stepped him, and got to work. Claire crouched a bit before jumping and spinning to kick his back and send him straight at the floor. Landing perfectly, she was immediately heading for the two boys, assisting Kanda with pulling the chains apart.

"Ed? Why are you chained up?" She asked. Ed was quite surprised at how Claire could put up a good fight. Maybe he should ask her about it later. But a looming shadow towered over them, and Ed gasped.

"Claire! Look out!"

But it was too late. A hand patted her gently at the back of her head and her eyes became unfocused. She closed those eyes and clattered to the floor like a broken marionette with cut strings. Ed's breathing became more desperate. Lenny, who had been watching, came from her spectator's corner and tried to stop Majahal.

"It's gone too far!" She cried. "I can't turn a blind eye any longer."

Majahal's eyes turned bloodshot as he pushed her away. "Then you should turning the other cheek!"

The woman gasped before falling back on the floor, and Majahal proceeded to take Claire away bridal style to another room across, creating a wall of black stone behind him to block the door. Ed grit his teeth in frustration, and tugged at the chains again. He slumped back on Kanda, and scowled.

"Kanda!" He shouted. "Do something!"

"Shut it, short stack!" Kanda snarled and he finally had time to break it. The chain fell away like spaghetti noodles dangling from a fork, and the two immediately tried to help Lenny up. But they saw another thing. Kanda saw it before, but he didn't expect to see it again. A blue rose petal, glowing solemnly in the dim light, was resting upon the woman's coarse brown-gray hair.

"A rare blue rose…" Ed repeated the detail again… Then his eyes widened upon realization. All the pieces fit. This hair… if aged less… could have been… those eyes… if aged less… could also have been… no way!!

A shuffle of footsteps ensued, and Ed saw at the door, his two subordinates, Armstrong, and the two Exorcists he was grouped with.

"Major Elric!" Ross shouted. "What's going on!? And what's with the bruises on your face?!"

"Not now!" Ed got up with Kanda, pulling Lenny up. "We need to get into the next room pronto!"

They raced to the door, but Ed stopped them.

"Damnit…" Ed swore, and Ross and Brosh gulped at the notion. Of course Edward Elric swore, just about a lot, but if he could say it so freely right now, something was on his nerves…

"What is it?" Chaoji asked, not knowing that questioning Ed was a bad thing.

"Whaddaya think!!?? The damn bastard used Dark Matter and Alchemic Innocence to create a barrier of Akuma dust!"

He then reached out with the bundle that Mustang had brought him: Alphonse's extra set of alkahestry knives. He knew a lot of theory himself, but the boy never tried it before. Using alkahestry would help him avoid getting damage from the Akuma dust, so he set the knives in place on the wall and onto the wooden floor. Shortly after, he clapped his hands together and placed them onto the array on the floor.

* * *

"Little soul…" Majahal's voice echoed in the room. A purple glowed form a large inscribed circle and cast light upon the shelves of empty dolls that were ready for use. The light was accompanied with a large screeching hum.

"Accept your new vessel… Wherever you are, Karin, bless us… Let her become just like you…"

Claire was awakened by the noise, and she realized just what was happening as she found herself in the middle of the circle, and was bound to a chair with cord. She tugged and pulled at the bindings.

"No!!" She wailed. "Let me go!"

Her desperate pants for freedom became harsher, but a crackle of blue alchemy swept through the wall behind Majahal, and he turned.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "My Akuma Dust wall was destroyed?!"

The wall crumbled away, and there was Edward, his hands placed before him. Kanda, had drawn his sword. Chaoji cracked his fists, and Krory bared his sharp teeth. Ross and Brosh had guns at the ready, and Armstrong was assisting Lenny.

"Let her go, Majahal," Ed demanded surprisingly calmly. "Nothing you think you know is the truth, and what you've been seeking all along has been under your nose!"

"Fools!" Majahal snarled. "You know… with my control over Dark Matter… that means I can use Akuma against you!"

Brosh gasped. "Y-You… wouldn't dare…"

"Of course I would!" Majahal cackled as the roof above them broke, and they were instantly showered with Akuma bullets. Ross and Brosh tried best to shoot them down so Ed and the Exorcists could finish them. Armstrong pulled Lenny away from the bullets' range. Since Kanda, Chaoji, and Krory finished this small amount of Akuma so easily and were searching for more, he decided to face Majahal alone.

When he looked at the purple glowing circle, he saw only Claire. Spinning around, he barely calculated what happened when Majahal got him in the face again. They exchanged blows before Majahal was tired. Ed had gotten to the extent to transmuting a nearby rock into a feasible weapon, a long sword, just like Kanda's. He knew Majahal was stalling so the process could be complete.

"This is nonsense!" He shouted. "What do you want now?!"

"I'm trying to say that Karin never died!" Ed defiantly yelled, and he saw from the corner of his eye his comrades coming back. "The day of the accident, she hit her head, lost her memory, and started a new life somewhere!"

Majahal stopped for a moment and looked at Ed.

"Twenty years later," Ed brandished his sword. "Her memories came back in a flash, and in a true gesture of love, she came straight back to you!"

Majahal frowned at Ed's statements.

"But you were too blinded by obsession to see it was her!" Ed shouted. He turned to Armstrong and Lenny.

"Armstrong?" He commanded.

"Yes, sir," He led Lenny, still cloaked, to the front line, and she put down her hood, revealing an aged face of someone who used to be so beautiful. A blue full rose was clipped to the side of her head.

"Yes… my love…" She uttered, and Majahal immediately stopped the procedure.

"You can't…" Majahal took several steps back. Ross quietly snuck behind him and cut the ropes for Claire. "You're telling me this wrinkled old woman is Karin?"

He took a step back in disbelief. "Karin was a woman of incomparable beauty and perfection! Just like a rose…"

Krory had had it. He had been patient this whole time, and he's lost it now. He had loved someone himself, and lost her… Eliade… he missed her…

Letting his cape sweep in the wind, he bellowed with his confident tone. "Exactly like a rose! Flowers wither, Majahal! But despite what you've become, Karin's feelings have not!"

"Silence, fools!" Majahal bowed his head in anger. "Say one more word…"

The dark aura of an Akuma rose to infinite levels, and Ed was getting quite worried himself.

"AND YOU'RE DEAD!!!" Majahal grabbed a nearby chisel and transformed it into a long sword. Charging at Ed, he readied his sword, but Kanda blocked his sword his Mugen, easily blowing back his opponent, and Majahal stepped back clumsily, and a familiar click of gun… more than one gun made him freeze.

"Please, sir Majahal," Ross held her arm steady. Brosh did the same. Claire did the same, too, but her arm was still quite shaky. Majahal ignored them, and went charging again anyways. Kanda was about to go again, but Ed was quicker this time. He snatched the blue rose from Karin/Lenny's head and threw it to the floor. He transmuted it into a fabulously soft silk ribbon. He swung the ribbon expertly at Majahal, and easily disarmed him, sending the sword spinning into the air.

Everyone thought it was over by now… but Ed gasped. The sword dropped down again, and this time, the blade's end reached the floor, impaling Majahal square in the chest. Karin gasped, and she run to the dying man.

"Majahal!!!" She cried desperately her voice fell to a whisper. "Majahal!"

"I…" Majahal gasped, blood trailing from his mouth. "I don't believe… how you… could Karin… my Karin…"

He ignored her precious cries and saw the dolls that had fallen from the broken shelves.

"Karin…" He whispered. "I'm coming for you…"

Karin tried to hold back wails of despair, but she couldn't. She got up, pulled the bloody sword out of Majahal's chest, and everyone was shocked at what she could do.

"Karin!! Lenny!!" Armstrong tried to run for her. "No!!"

Too late… once again. Blood of another corpse flowed over the old, and the two lovers, separated by accident and never reunited happily, lay dead.

Claire dropped her gun. She had just seen death first hand, and she fell to her knees to cry. Ross bent down to comfort her. Ed frowned deeply. He didn't cry, like most teens would do if they were stuck in this situation.

He merely creased his eyebrows, and held a thin lip. His hands began to clench fiercely, and the small breeze from the crevices of the room brushed his hair gently. He looked at Majahal's peaceful expression again, and noticed a green substance flowing from the dead's hand. Innocence was reforming itself, cleansing itself of impurities Majahal had thrown upon it. Ed picked it up, and pocketed it without further question and looked at the scene again.

Krory was amazed. He had to cry himself, since he watched a man be killed at the hands of a stray sword, and then the man's lover take her own life. It somehow seemed logical, if one couldn't bear to live after that and feared the making of an Akuma, but it seemed immoral on the other side of the scale. Decisions must have been hard to make. But this boy was so unnerved by it. He must upset and remorseful, but not a bit emotional enough.

"Come on," Ed turned on his heel, and he pointed to the door. He approached Claire and held out his hand to her.

"You all right now?" He asked. She nodded meekly, and took the help gratefully, getting onto her feet and following them out the door. Kanda took a glance back, noticing the many leftover dolls. The sight still made him sick, so he turned away and left the house. Afterward, they had decided to burn the house and leave, since there was no need for anyone to go back or come or leave. Ed reminded himself to document the event for Lavi.

* * *

The case is done, and Ed finished his report first thing in the morning. He, Kanda, Chaoji, and Krory began to go back to the train station they waited for. His subordinates, Brosh and Ross, were asked to come with him to Home for official housing for the moment. Armstrong tagged along, rejoiced to hear that the rest of Mustang's team had already arrived at the Order's headquarters with no injuries. Kanda was sitting in one of the benches, his arms folded, and face staring up at the stone ceiling. A familiar click of unequal footsteps made him look forward again at golden orbs of curiosity.

"Glad to see you're all the depressed and normal again…" Ed smirked at Kanda's indifferent face. His skill at reading emotions was so well he could see Kanda's feelings. It was no use arguing with the Fullmetal Alchemist. Damn… Lavi would tease him for being so damn soft. He frowned and got up from his seat.

The Japanese samurai sighed. "I was just thinking how that Innocence could be used to delude people, too."

Ed looked at the approaching train. "Yeah… guess it does…"

The whistling of the train didn't stop him from hearing a hurried running to him.

"Hey!!"

Ed turned and saw Claire, but in the most unexpected way. Brosh and Chaoji gawked at her appearance. She had let her hair down, and she wore a denim jacket, a white undershirt and a denim miniskirt. Some reason, the look reminded Kanda of Lenalee.

"I'm sorry," She looked nervously away. "For what I said about you guys… you're really amazing Exorcists after all!"

"Coming to say goodbye?" Ross asked. Claire shook her head and showed them a suitcase.

"I'm coming with you guys," she stated. "To Headquarters! My dad got a call from Roy Mustang to let me go with you guys to see him."

Ed contemplated for a moment. He was sure if Master wanted Claire for something, he would have to let her come along. Armstrong then smiled.

"Hop in! We've gotta board before the train takes off again, right?"

Claire beamed as she hurried after Ed and Kanda aboard with everyone else following Krory then looked at Armstrong.

"Children these days are so lively, aren't they?" He asked.

"Yes, very much indeed."

They watched as Ed, Claire, and sometimes Kanda, talked freely.

"Hey, Claire?"

"What?"

"How come you could take down Majahal like that?"

"I learned it from a kind man with blond hair and glasses when he stayed for a year at my town. He had to leave when the Exorcists came to build a base for you Silver Shield."

"Wow," Ed raised an eyebrow, impressed.

"Oh, and by the way," Ed smirked. "You definitely look much better when you're not dressed like a paper boy."

Claire flushed bright red and pulled out the same newsboy hat from her suitcase and tucked her hair under it. Then she proceeded to slap Ed in the face.

"Hey! You know how many times that nutcase of your uncle hit me there before you came?!"

At the back of Ed's head, the description that Claire gave him was enough proof for a bit of suspicion.

**A/N: Yay! The Majahal Arc is finished. And bonus points for making the two latest chapters so long. The reason why was because the next chapter is one that probably will get some people excited. Therefore, I compressed the Majahal Arc into two chapters. Before I cut the chapter in half when Majahal knocks Ed and Kanda out, but I changed that, of course. I don't know what happens to Lenny in the anime, since they only had the part when Lenny cries when Majahal dies and just skipped to the part when Ed and Al leave and Claire says goodbye. So I assumed that she committed suicide, since we don't see her anymore. And because I feel like giving Claire a bigger role later on in the story, I bumped her age up from ten to seventeen, so she about Lenalee's age at the moment. Currently, I'm frustratin over the fact that my line breaks are going to be changed... I like to be very consistent, and changing isn't helping me at all. Preview for the following two chapters, as a bonus.**

**Chapter 14: First Days - Another special chapter! Ed, Kanda, Claire, Krory, and Chaoji, along with the Finders of the Silver Shield, return to Headquarters to be greeted by Lavi and Roy. Roy contemplates the little time he has left. Meanwhile, We delve back into Ed and Al's past once more, but in the viewpoint of a certain character who has yet to appear. And... just as a very small apology in advance in case you want say "OMG, how dare you do that to _____!" I apologize for putting a small dash of sadism in the this upcoming chapter.**

**Chapter 15: Order #3066 - A week after the events of Majahal, Ed, Al, Lavi, and Kanda discuss with Roy the two goals: 1) saving Allen, and 2) finding Van Hoeinheim. Ed does not take the news lightly, and neither does Al. Lavi and Kanda questions their uneasiness of seeing their father again, and Roy tells of a long-forgotten purge, called Order #3066.**

**Ah! Yes! The Silver Shield. I forgot to tell everyone how that name came up. The name is based on the Red Shield from Blood Plus, which, in my opinion, is an okay anime (those who can't take blood well, don't watch it. I have warned you). I put silver instead of red because the original Exorcist uniform was silver and black, and since the Black Order is... well, the Black Order, I wanted to put a color-coded organization corresponding to the color themes. This organization was formed before the change in uniforms.**

**Please Review, and if you want to give a guess at which new person will appear next chapter, feel free to give a shout out. It's not an OC, by the way. In this story, I'm trying my best not to make or use any OCs as part of the main cast. Ryan was an exception, since he was briefly mentioned in Fullmetal by name only (actually, Rose's boyfriend in the manga was actually Kyle, but I thought Ryan sounded better for some reason at the moment). As for my Youtube page that some people ask for, I've posted a link from my profile page. As of right, it won't be that useful, since I haven't posted anything cool yet, like the animation of DGray-man I'm working on. I've only posted three alternate openings.**


	14. First Days

_**All right! For those who have actually waited for this chapter, behold! I give a glimpse into the appearance of our favorite character. Enjoy!**_

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 14 – First Days**

_

* * *

_

Hurry up, idiot pupil," Cross nagged at him, and little Allen Walker meekly caught up. "We're running late."

_"For what, Master?"_

_"I've been meaning to see someone today," Cross smiled heartily. Allen raised an eyebrow. Generally, Cross wasn't really nice when he said things like that to him. Usually was a dismissive comment and a storm off to the nearest pub. Probably this person was very important enough for Cross to have respect for._

_The two entered instead a small inn with satisfactory conditions. They walked in quite calmly themselves. The front room had a very homey appearance, a crackling fireplace, since this season was autumn, and the earthy tones of the walls and leafy prints on the furniture gave a very natural appeal to the room. Then a small movement caught both people's eyes._

_"Didn't think you'd actually come to see us, Marian," A deep baritone voice chuckled. Cross merely smirked._

_"Same to you, Roy."_

_"Well, I had some handful of apprentices in my hands." Footsteps echoed upon the woody floor, and a man stood before Allen. "My stay here would be a bit longer."_

_His eyes were midnight black, and his black ebony hair was kept slightly messy, but somewhat in place, several strands of hair hanging before his eyes. He wore a uniform similar to Allen's master, gold and black._

_"Apprentices, you say?" Cross raised an eyebrow. "I thought you always refused to have any."_

_"Things change, Marian," Roy nodded and set his eyes upon Allen. "Oh? You have an apprentice, too?"_

_"Oh, this boy?" Cross looked back at Allen, who cowered in fear slightly. "Yes, that's my idiot pupil, Allen Walker."_

_Roy's eyes seemed to flicker in interest at the name, but nothing more._

_"Master!" A young boy's voice echoed behind the three. They turned to see a blond boy, Allen's age, panting heavily at the door. He seemed to be wearing a uniform similar to Roy's, but the uniform was lined with silver trimmings rather than gold._

_"Something wrong, Fullmetal?" Roy asked the boy._

_"Yeah." The boy sighed. "Al had just made the entire bookshelf fall apart again."_

_Roy's face then grew creases of concern as he looked at the boy called Fullmetal._

_"I thought he can't use the ladder."_

_"He did."_

_Roy sighed, and he approached the boy. "Well, let's see, shall we?"_

_The room they arrived in was a total mess. A great flurry of notes and books were scattered everywhere and another young boy was struggling to clean them all up._

_"Alphonse, what did you do?" Roy asked sternly, and the boy looked up._

_"Brother needed a book from the shelf, and he couldn't reach it. Brother told me to get it, but the shelf just broke."_

_Roy then looked at Fullmetal._

_"Well, it's just a broken shelf," He said. "I'm sure you can fix it, or did Izumi not teach you how to repair bookshelves."_

_"What I meant was the books and notes, damn idiot Master," Fullmetal frowned, and Allen was alarmed. The relationship between Master and Pupil is definitely reversed compared to his and Cross. This boy here was allowed to swear all he wanted, while Allen would be backhanded for that. Actually, he learned not to swear with Mana, but anyhow, if he didn't watch his tongue, Cross would get at him._

_"I'm sure this young boy here can help you." Roy then motioned to Allen, who jumped with a sense of surprise. The two blond boys looked quizzically at their master and then to Allen again. The ebony haired General then exchanged glances with his redheaded friend. They turned on their heels and headed simultaneously for the door._

_"You'd better clean it up or else, idiot pupil!"_

_Fullmetal and Alphonse dropped jaws as they watched the two Generals walk away. Fullmetal then scowled and then bent down to pick up a book. Allen paused but then went to his knees to pick up a loose paper. He noticed a circular symbol on it, but took little notice to the contents of the paper. Alphonse watched Allen, and Fullmetal stopped and turn to Allen._

_"Well, what's your name?" Fullmetal asked. Allen gulped and then remembered Mana's lesson about manners. He held out his hand to the blond boy._

_"My name is Allen Walker, nice to meet you."_

_Fullmetal smiled and shook the new boy's hand._

_"I'm Edward Elric, and this is my brother Alphonse. You can call me Ed. And you'll need to sort my research notes for me."_

_"Okay, Ed," Allen smiled. Ed then looked at his surroundings. The white haired boy then looked on the paper again. This time he saw notes, for research of some sort. But... huh? Why were there lines about traveling around the world. A travelogue? What kind of research was this?_

_"You should start helping by picking up the papers and books, so I can get more space to fix the bookshelf." Ed walked away and examined the bookshelf. He noticed a crack in one of the bearings that should have held the shelf in place. He had better ask Master for quality check next time._

_"O-Okay…" Allen bent down to the nearest book, and placed five of them stacked on the nearest table. Alphonse smiled encouragingly, and helped him sort out the documents and books after they got everything off the tables._

_"We sorted the research notes, brother!" Alphonse smiled as Ed looked and nodded._

_"There's a crack in the shelf, so I need to fix it. Get me some plywood, will ya?"_

_"Okay, brother!"_

_Alphonse rushed off and came back with a thin slab of wood, and gave it to Ed, who took it and then laid it upon the bookshelf. Immediately, he clapped his hands to produce a nice hum and placed his hands on the plywood and shelf. Allen watched in amazement at how the wood warped itself and fuse itself into the main shelf, like viscous water. Ed stood up and wiped the dust off his hands on his pants._

_"That should do," Ed smiled, and he turned to an open-mouthed Allen._

_"Something wrong, Allen?"_

_Ed then opened his mouth to start explaining._

* * *

"Hey, Chief!" Ed was greeted by a group of blue uniformed men on his way out of the train station. Ed gave a wave. A sandy haired man saluted to the "Major" in a dignified manner. Beside him were a stocky redhead, a tall dark skinned man with white and gray hair, a short man with black hair and square glasses. Riza and Hughes were amongst them, too. All of them performed the same action, catching the attention of several passersby. Ed gave a nod of acknowledgment and they all stood at ease. The boy's steely eyes faded to a childish ecstasy when he then ran to greet a friend, not a soldier.

"Hey, Havoc!" Ed smiled, and Ross and Brosh saluted to Roy Mustang, who was present as well.

"Everyone's been waiting for you," He smiled to his student. "Al couldn't come to see you come back today. He apparently was too absorbed in assisting the nurses in the medical section he couldn't leave an operation room."

"Well, that's Al," Ed smiled. "Can't leave a person wounded."

"Hey!!! Ed!!!" Lavi waved furiously, and they examined Ed's face. "Hm… seems that you were pretty beaten up, Eddie. How come?"

"Got caught off guard by the criminal and endured one minute of torture," Ed said in a blasé manner. "What else?"

Lavi sweatdropped. _That's not something you can take so lightly, and plus, that doesn't happen so often, ya know!!_

"Well, who's this?" Lavi flounced over to Claire, who still had her hair tucked up in her newsboy hat. She smiled nervously and gave a small wave.

"She's Claire," Ed said briskly, and she smiled warmly. "Well, Mustang told her to come with us after the mission."

Lavi then began to smile evilly, as he noticed that Claire was girl, and not a boy.

"Oh?" He teased. "You picked up another one? She sure looks clingy to you… What do you think Winry will say about this? Is she okay with a threesome?"

Ed and Claire turned bright red, and raised their fists, Ed with his right, and Claire with her left. Lavi was blown twenty feet away, crashing into a pillar of adobe brown brick. The two embarrassed teenagers stomped to young man's feet and raised their fists again, their eyes fiery red with anguish, and a dark aura seemed to flow from them. Everyone sweatdropped at just how brutal teenagers could be to others.

"You pervert!!" Ed shouted. "Don't you ever say that ever again! And that's an order from me as an Inspector!!"

_

* * *

_

The three boys got along so well, their bonds became much stronger. Allen got a hands on experience with Roy's training lessons as he trained with Al and Ed. Obviously, he enjoyed Roy's method more than his Master's. But, unfortunately, there's some things that go downhill. Apparently, the two Masters had gotten them into bigger trouble this time.

_"How the hell are we going to pay this whole debt?!" Ed shouted."And to think that Master added to this bill, too!_

_"Ed, don't swear," Allen sighed. "It's really rude, you know."_

_"Allen's right, brother," Alphonse looked sincerely. "Don't swear. You know people will think you're not very smart if you swear frequently."_

_"Fine." Ed slumped down on a nearby chair._

_"So… how do we pay this?" He held a long list of the money the two generals owed to many bars. Pity the three children to whom the burden was given._

_Allen dug into his pockets to show a deck of cards. The two brothers stared skeptically at his action._

_"And what are you going to do with that?" Ed asked. Allen smirked craftily._

_"I'll get this debt down in no time."_

_

* * *

_

"A-Allen?" Alphonse deadpanned as he watched the "once-very-kind" boy smile evilly as he dealt his deck of playing cards to a group of burly men. He had already won this game of poker for a while, probably the longest winning streak the brothers had ever seen.

_"A-Allen…." Al whispered to the boy's ear, and he snapped out of his dark side and looked at the former in confusion. He was normal again, not his dark personality self._

_"What's wrong, Al?" He looked inquisitively at the other blue face. Alphonse snapped out of it and raised an eyebrow._

_"What's with you?"_

_"I'm just getting the debt paid off." Allen smiled. "There's nothing to worry about."_

_"B-But…"_

_"You want me to pay the debt or not?"_

_"O-Okay… then…"_

* * *

Roy sat back on his seat in his personal office. The office was made specially for guest officials coming from Central, and say, the room was quite his style. Many books, some on alchemy, for Ed's taste, and some classical novels on one section…

But then a sense of guilt. He was taking too long. Izumi and her team of Finders and Alchemists were working as hard as he and his team was doing, and they still can't find Allen Walker. And Marian Cross, dare he say it, was trying to recover as quickly as possible to get up and search for his apprentice. As if it seemed that the redheaded man didn't care for his student, Roy and Hughes were the ones to hear Cross record his "last" message to Allen. Of course, Cross was a man with a big heart on the inside of that dirty shell. Roy fumbled with his fingers in irritation.

"Damn it…" He swore and massaged his temple. "I'll have to ransack every country just to find Walker… I just hope the Elrics can find their father first…"

_

* * *

_

Then came the day when the Elric brothers and Allen were surrounded by Akuma. Roy and Cross ditched out on them again, and Allen was forced by Ed to sit back and watched the show as the two brothers took down a bunch of Level Twos so easily. Ed's reason?

_"We're technically at the rank of Marshall, just like Master, just that he's probably better than us." Ed smiled. Allen watched in awe as Al took down a large Akuma quite easily, in contrast to his height._

_"What is the name of your Innocence?" Allen asked. "You never told me yet…"_

_"Alchemy," Ed pointed to his automail arm, and the pointed to Al's daggers. "and Alkahestry."_

_"Those names sound really ancient," Allen looked at the two brothers in amazement. Then he looked at Ed's arm again._

_"You still haven't told me why you lost your arm and leg."_

_Ed tensed and let his shoulders drooped sadly. "Master told me not to tell anyone, so I'm sorry…"_

_Allen looked at the blond and then smiled warmly. "It's okay, Ed. You don't need to tell me if you can't or you don't want to. I'm sure it's for the greater good."_

_Ed and Al looked up at their newly made friend. To see that this boy had so much optimism was quite impressive._

_

* * *

"Where you going off to now, Allen?" Alphonse asked the older boy. The white haired Exorcist-to-be smiled brightly._

_"Master says that we'll be going to Africa, so I have to go with him. After that, it's Russia and then India."_

_"That sounds like a long trip!" Al smiled. "I don't think Master will be taking brother and I around much…"_

_"Oi, Allen," Ed smirked. "We'll see when you get to be Marshall, right?"_

_"You bet." Allen smiled. "Just don't be late."_

_"No way we won't," Alphonse smiled, and the boys shared their last laugh together before departing for a long time. Allen could always remember the big grins as they walked further away. Don't worry. He'll see them again._

* * *

"Road-sama… you're looking worse every day, Lero." The pumpkin-headed umbrella was perched on the windowsill, as Road was sitting with her head against the headboard of her bed, her feet curled up with her chin resting on her knees.

"What do you mean?" Road looked up in doubt. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I meant, your skin is getting less gray every day, Lero."

Road snorted. "I think you're hallucinating. Maybe because I've abused you too many times, am I wrong?"

"Yeah! Maybe's that's why, Lero!!" Lero laughed, but received a stuffed animal tossed in its face.

"Why don't you go somewhere else?" Road frowned. "I want alone time."

"You're changing a lot, Road-sama, Lero." The umbrella hovered from its place on the windowsill and slipped under the door to get away. Road kept her frown on. She could feel it so much stronger now. The part of her that she used to be was stirring. It seemed as if another entity was breaking from her grasp, just like how Alphonse had.

Out of curiosity, she stared at the mirror and looked at herself. Pity her. Her skin used to be very dark gray, like a dead living corpse, but now it had more life in it, more like pale white skin- Human skin. Of course, she could change from a Noah outlook to a human's skin, fake, of course, but this seemed so real.

"Hm…" She sighed. "Maybe he's right. I've changed a lot."

A part of her mind whispered a "Yes" in agreement. The same words rolled in her mind like a raging storm.

I'll be waiting for you at the Gate…

"Please…" Road whispered in resonance to the voice inside her. "Take me away… I don't… want to become a Noah anymore…"

"Your wish is granted," the voice identical to hers resounded in her ears. "Now let me handle this from now on. You have used my body long enough."

"Okay…"

She undergone complete transformation. Her skin has become perfectly peachy, very human. Her forehead, free of the cross shaped scars, but those won't be seen anyways, since her bangs grown longer. Her hair stayed unkempt and dark purple. Her eyes once golden was now still angled but a deep purple. She looked at herself in the mirror once again.

She had achieved it, the art of sustaining two sides of the same coin. She was alive, for once. Her name? She'll keep the name Road Kamelot. Her former name sounded less grand.

"Now…" Road frowned. "To find the Eastern Sage and his sons…"

_

* * *

_

Years passed, and Allen had become a brilliant Exorcist, a favorite amongst the many residents in the Black Order, especially Lenalee Lee. But the tale of his manipulation of the Noah's Ark made him more infamous than famous day by day. He shoved away the sad thoughts and kept his smile on, and today was the day he had successfully recruited Timothy into the order. The kid was handful, but at least the Order had an extra hand.

_He strolled in the corridors of his still new home. He preferred that tall tower than this cathedral as a home. His room was quite less happier, too, since he was roommate with the uptight and annoying Howard Link, his stalker. His mind then flitted back to the memories he shared with Edward and Alphonse Elric. Come to think of it, where were they now? He supposed they can't have been dead. They sounded too good to be dead. And if they weren't, why didn't they and Roy Mustang come to help him at the Ark or come to the meeting Leverrier held for all the Marshalls last month? Why didn't Komui bother to ask a search party for Roy Mustang?_

_His head was clouded in those thoughts when a series of CROW members flitted past him and stop a few feet, and turned to him. Several more came and stopped before him, forming a ring around him and trapping him. Lenalee and Lavi were on their way, when they saw Allen surrounded by CROW members. Allen whirled around in place, seeing for any way to escape. No. He was completely caged in. A CROW member on each possible angle, ready to pounce on him. But why?_

_"Allen Walker," Leverrier smiled seeing the boy's confused face. "You are hereby charged for heresy under the orders of Central."_

_"Why?" Allen asked, with horror in his voice._

_"Because of the recent events," Leverrier vaguely explained. "Moreover, you will be taken to Central for questioning."_

_"Huh?" Allen was cut off by a sharp pain in his left arm, and he toppled to the ground. He's never this weak. Of course he can't fall over if there's weight on his arm… He looked over his shoulder and saw that his hand was bound by spell cards, just like last time when Cross…_

_He watched the horrified look on Lenalee's face, but he felt quite better at the moment, just a week ago, he managed to get her alone and tell her the three words she liked to hear, and they did share time long enough to exchange more than words, and he was glad she didn't have to go through the agony of seeing him going without knowing he loved her._

_"D-Damn you!!!" Lenalee never swore. Never._

_With a whirl that made her emerald hair seem to streak past Lavi like lightning, the girl charged at Leverrier, but was cut off by a person's body standing before her. Indeed, the man was Link , whose pained look on his face showed how much he regretted his actions. Lavi was kept away, too, causing a huge commotion in the halls._

_"Link!" Lenalee cried. "Let me go!"_

_"I'm sorry, Lenalee," Link frowned. "I'm under orders."_

_"We don't care about your damn orders!" Lavi shouted. "Let Allen go!"_

_Several people in the hallways shrieked at the sight as Allen attempted to stagger to his feet but was brought down by a harsh blow to the head. He heard Lenalee scream again as his head slammed to the floor again, opening a gash on the side of his forehead that barely healed from the Timothy ordeal. What was going on? Why was he being arrested? He hadn't done anything bad, did he?_

_"No!" Lenalee's anguish didn't go away. "Stop it! At this rate-"_

_A heavy foot slammed was pressed upon his back, pressuring him to sink into the floor, but the marble did not allow him to, and the young Exorcist was left giving a shriek of pain, feeling his spine about ready to snap. The foot continued to press down on his back, forcing the air out of his lungs so quickly when his chest made contact with the marble floor. He coughed and wheezed, but he used the remainder of his might to kick the man who was standing on him._

_"Don't put up a fight, Allen Walker," Leverrier's stoic expressions some type of concealed glee._

_Allen felt himself pulled up by the collar and dragged across the floor to Leverrier's feet. Then a cloth was placed over his mouth and nose, and his vision began to blur. Chloroform… He hated that substance now. He continued to struggle as his movements and muffled cries were visible. There stood a helpless Lenalee, her hand outstretched to him, her eyes welling with tears. He could barely see the blob of a white beret and blue hair racing to him behind Lenalee._

_"Allen!!! No!!!"_

_"Lenalee…" His muffled voice didn't make through. And he instantly fell asleep, but the screams of Lenalee didn't stop. And he felt a small rustle in his sleeve._

_

* * *

_

Allen was tossed into the wall, and he immediately was left slumping over. Blood was the one word description for the poor boy. Nothing more.

_"Are you going to answer my questions?" Leverrier's taunting voice asked. Allen looked up with a tiny spark of fire in his eyes._

_"I… tol'… yo'… u…" he snarled but uttered in a low voice, his throat straining to even say the words… "I…dun…'t… 'mow…"_

_He then received another blow to the head, and he crashed to the floor again for the umpteenth time… He sobbed quietly as the frustrated footsteps marched away from his near-lifeless body…_

_Please… he prayed. Anyone… please… I don't know the answer to his questions…_

_He missed Lenalee, he missed Kanda, he missed Lavi, he missed Miranda, he missed Komui… Krory… Bak… Cross… Fou… Mustang… Edward… Alphonse…_

_"Please…" His hoarse voice whispered. Timcampy flew from its hiding place and landed on Allen's abused head. It had been caught at one point and was battered just as badly as Allen. Afterward, it only showed up when Allen was alone, sobbing. Golems had no emotion, normally, but this one did. It was feeling more miserable, knowing that the guard that had beaten it knocked out the mechanism that allowed it to show its memories at will. Now that that chance was gone, Timcampy had no idea how it could save Allen._

_

* * *

_

He didn't know how long he had stayed there. Weeks? Days? Months? Years? Hours? The pitch black of the dungeons had no clocks or indication of daylight or moonlight. But immediately the doors opened again, and then came a girl's shriek, causing his head to jerk upwards in fright.

_"A-Allen!!!"_

_The voice was so familiar… Where had he heard it?_

_Link was at the door, with Leverrier, some CROW members, and a girl with short emerald black hair in an Exorcist uniform accompanied them this time… her eyes were purple… and on her feet were red anklets and… Lenalee! Why was she here?!_

_"A…L…L…Lena…" Allen found it hard to form words, and then the girl rushed to his side, and hugged him fiercely._

_"Allen!! You're alive!! Thank God!!!" She began to sob terribly, prompting the white haired "Once"- Exorcist to cry as well. He had no energy to move his hands to the small of her back to bring her closer and hug her back…_

_"Lenalee Lee," Leverrier's voice echoed firmly. "You audience with the 14th is done. Please leave the premises."_

_"I can't…" Lenalee sobbed more. "Why should I leave him here?! He needs help! And you said that you would help him suppress the Noah!"_

_"I am," Leverrier smiled. "In the fastest method possible. Now leave before I must force you outside."_

_Allen shuddered visibly. He had been in this hell for a long time, only to be greeted by the girl he loved so much, and be comforted by her, and now she was going to leave him again… No… it was opposite. He would leave her. And that's a bigger shame._

_"L…Lena…Lena…Le…" He stammered, but Lenalee pulled away from him a bit and shook her head._

_"Don't talk too much…" She smiled. "You'll hurt yourself…"_

_His pale gray eyes stared into her pure purple ones, and the stare lasted for a long time. All demands from the Leverrier were zoned out as they continued to stare, and then he pulled the final straw._

_The girl's smile faltered suddenly, and Allen twitched at the strange event. Lenalee gave a small gasp as a shower of cards floated around her head, and her eyes turned from the lively emotional purple to dull shielded… indigo… Allen's eyes widened in horror as she stood up in a robotic manner and walked towards Leverrier and Link._

_"I've warned you," Leverrier growled at the girl, whose expression was still blank. "You had a time limit, and you broke it. Now you will pay a price."_

_Allen had a quick intake of breath as Lenalee was released from the cards and her eyes were normal again. She turned around to look at Allen one more time… but she screamed in shock and disgust._

_At this point his heart broke into a million pieces. Another salty drop of melancholy fell down his scarred face._

_"W-What is that?!!!" She pointed accusingly at Allen, and the poor boy allowed himself to let the tears flow down his face. What had happened then? A seal? It can't be! They wiped her memories… in flash… no…_

_"L…Lenale-" His body wracked into a violent fit of coughing and wheezing, and he felt a coppery taste upon his tongue. A flit of gold before his eyes made him wonder just what the strange movement was._

_Lenalee promptly left the room, demanding to leave Central and go back to her brother and the Order. She never mentioned Allen's name… He was now alone once again, at the feet of Leverrier and Link._

_"You see?" Leverrier frowned. "Lenalee has now forgotten you so easily… because you're an incorrigible Noah!"_

_Allen was backhanded so hard his body fell over and he held onto the stone floor as if it were a bed of some sort. His eyes flitted to a sympathetic Link. He could see the eyes of regret when the man had to restrain him after being caught in his escape attempts, when Leverrier commanded his subordinate to apprehend him when he made a snarky comment of some sort._

_Link had been able to help sustain Allen's confidence when they were quite alone, and he would whisper to him the plans he set up for the boy to let him escape to the hands of different Inspector. However, the poor man had been disallowed to leave the location at any costs, since Leverrier said something about information leaking to his rival… Roy Mustang… or something like that._

_"I'm… dead…aren't I…?" Allen whimpered in a low murmur as the door slammed before him again. He had lost everyone… and he could do nothing… _

* * *

A kick. A gasp. Nothing more. Red beady eyes stared down at a limp body of a young boy. He seemed broken, far enough, physically, but what about mentally? He had been taunted for so long now…

_No one will come to look for you, Noah._

_You're not Allen Walker anymore. You're just a half-dead doll._

_They don't care about you. Can't you see? They haven't even attempted to find you._

_Try escaping and it'll only be worse. What would happen if Lenalee saw you again like this? She'll cry, won't she? And you hate it when she cries._

His frail lungs were making him breathe in harsh manner, and his assaulter believed that this was enough.

"Please…" A voice behind the towering figure pleaded. "He will die if we keep going."

The former snorted in irritation, earning one final whimper from his victim before leaving.

"Fine," he said. "But he cannot repent anything if we don't push him to his limits…"

The doors of the dungeon closed on the small figure, who began to sob quietly. Before, they uncased him in shackles, but now that was no longer needed. He was far too weak to move, or so they thought, at some times. He painfully rolled over on his back, facing the cold gray granite of the ceiling, and there, a window. A square cut out of the stone, barred by iron rods. Still, there enough room for moonlight to be seen.

The only person he cared for around here was the kind nurse who helped him stay alive around here, so what of it? He's already tried everything to get out, and no avail. At this point, he probably will be taken to the skies and never come back down again. But still… people were waiting for him. Those brothers he met, were waiting for him to become the Marshall he should be. The kind girl he met on his first day at Home, was waiting for him to come back home. That annoying idiot was waiting to give a snarky comment and make an argument out of it, but then really was just happy to see him anyways. That eye patched boy was also waiting to see his smile when he comes back. And maybe the family of his other side was waiting for him to rejoin the battle.

He slowly raised his left hand as if he were attempting to touch the moon that stood helplessly. The moon cannot save him. Never. But someone else will, and he knows it. That's why he has clung to sanity for so long. They say he will break in about another week, but hell, they will be completely wrong. He will live, and he will wait, no matter how long it takes.

* * *

A pair of golden eyes snapped open, and the owner of these eyes panted heavily as his face was coated with nightmare's sweat. He lifted his hand to stroke through his long blond hair. He glanced at his moonlit residence, noting a pair of half-rimmed glasses sitting on the bedside table. He shifted in his bedding a few more times, thinking of the family he left behind.

Another round of hopeless sleep forced the man to give up on even attempting to rest. He dragged himself out of bed, and prepared himself for another day of traveling. Usually, he ambled about the world, with no destination. But this time, he had one checkpoint.

He had heard and seen a message, something he had never hoped to use. The message was not clear enough, but the message was vague.

The blond man slipped on a dark brown overcoat, and wound a long white scarf around his stocky neck. He took one more look at the room of temporary housing and opened the brass doorknob that was gradually developing a greenish patina. He checked himself out, promptly, and calmly strolled out the ringing doors.

Once more on the cobblestones of Germany, he saw the dark night, and a small ray of dawn shining behind the horizon of the Alps. He contemplated the next fragments of the events to come, wondering how well he would pass through. His foot started with one bold step, and the other followed, atop the stony path out of the town.

"London…" The man with golden eyes frowned as he continued to walk. "I've got to get to London…"

**A/N: poor tim... can't do anything cause he's just a golem. And if you notice. Chapter 14 is a very convenient chapter number, considering what new character appeared. I was going to make an addition to the scene where Allen prays for his friends to come save him with Tyki sneaking in to see him, but I cut that out, because i wanted to keep it T-rated, and I hate yaoi or any boyXboy love. Even though it was Tyki trying to offer Allen entry to the Noah family, I thought it was causing a big hole in the plot, so I'm assuming Tyki doesn't know where Allen is, either. And of course, Tyki's not going to be the first to find Allen. Next chapter(s) is loosely based on the Laboratory 5 episode of the Brotherhood series. Order 3066, which I mentioned last chapter, is actually the order the Fuhrer in Fullmetal Alchemist signed to order the massacre of the Ishvalan race. However, I changed the meaning of order 3066 by a whole lot. You'll see how when the chapter comes next week. So far, I have restored all line breaks in the chapters, so there should be no confusion between scene skips now.**

**Preview: Chapter 15-17: Order 3066, Contemplation, Blessed Snow - A 3-Chapter Arc! Roy explains the second objective of the Silver Shield's part of the Holy War: Finding Edward and Alphonse's father, the Eastern Sage, or Van Hoeinheim. Although Ed is angry at his father for leaving him, Al, and their mother, another reason lies beside it. The Exorcists embark on a mission to Laboratory 5, one of the sites of a horrifying massacre of hundreds, and the secret of the Flames of Wrath are revealed. Road Kamelot discovers the art of the existence of two identities, and makes a decision that Al has left for her. The owner of an Innocence that commands the freezing depths of the earth appears before the Exorcists. And where in the world is Van Hoeinheim?**

**As for Alphonse and Road paired together.... yeah... sounds really weird, but I'll explain how I came up with this crazy pairing. Please review!**


	15. Order 3066

**Fullmetal Exorcist - Chapter 15 – Order #3066**

* * *

Hoeinheim silently made his way through a bustling street of a busy city. His senses took in all the conversations he picked up around the city, and he sighed inwardly. He had no time for polite talking. He desperately needed to get to the destination, to check for something one more time.

He was merely a week of constant travel away from his supposed checkpoint. First he would stop by in the Vatican for a moment, and then to London. From there, he would conduct careful planning, with some allies, he hoped relentlessly. All he had to do was find directions. He was immediately knocked aside slightly by a panicking man with blond hair.

This stranger had lengthy hair that was pleated into a neat braid, his bangs short in a neat line upon his forehead, and at the middle of the forehead, the golden locks parted, with two black dots in a line perpendicular to the line made by his bangs. He wore a black overcoat, so a great portion of his attire was sealed away. His hazel sharp eyes were wildly looking about, as if he were on the run from some bandits. But of course, bandits don't show up on the light of day.

He stumbled a bit, before grunting a rough "sorry", and Hoeinheim looked again. The man was blonde, had two dots on his forehead, and a black cloak, but he could know very well see an emblem of a silver cross.

"E-Excuse me, sir!" He shouted, and the man whirled around, horrified that he had asked for him.

"Y-Yes… sir?" the cloaked man stammered.

"You happen to be from the Black Order?" Hoeinheim asked, and the man paled, and raised his hands up in defense, as if he were ready to fight.

"P-Please!" Hoeinheim waved his arms before him defensively. "I was only asking!"

"Yes," the stranger still didn't trust him. "I am from the Order. Why do you ask?"

"I was… trying to find my way there… actually… Do you know where they are?"

He couldn't blame the young man for being so scared out of his mind. If a stranger walked up to him and asked for his home while he was on the rush, he would surely be frightened.

"Yes…" The man surprisingly relaxed and turned around. "I was on my way there, anyways. Follow."

Hoeinheim complied, and the two straw-haired men made their way in the designated direction. Hoeinheim sighed as he continued to amble down the cobblestone road, moving aside to avoid a rickety automobile that was coming his way. The young man did the same, and he turned to the older.

"By the way," He asked. "What is your name?"

"Van Hoeinheim," the former replied, and the younger latter sighed.

"My name is Howard Link…"

"Nice to meet you," Hoeinheim smiled warmly. Link then turned away from the man, but his fist remained clenched.

"By the way… How did you know I was part of the Order?"

"I saw your symbol," He answered plainly. "And you remind me of my children… They're much younger than you, but I haven't seen them in a while…"

"Are you a Finder?" Link looked at him, and he shook his head.

"I'm just a father who wants to see his children…"

* * *

"It seems that we'll need to find out more about the Western Sage," Roy went into thinking mode. "Apparently, I believe he is related to you two boys, as we had found from our research."

"Right..." Al slumped on the couch. Ed grit his teeth, clenching his fists at the same time. Roy frowned in disappointment at their reactions.

"Edward," these were one of the times Roy would use Ed's real name. "I understand your bitter feelings, but we'll have to set them aside. You father, Hoeinheim Elric, is one of our main priorities. You did say that in your research he as the Western Sage was affiliated with the Noah at one point. But he went with the Fourteenth and betrayed the Noah Family as well. The reason why we need Allen Walker is his Innocence and his hidden entity the 14th. Hoeinheim should know how to deal with the 14th more than any of us, and thus I have a new clue right for you."

"What is the clue?" Lavi asked. Kanda slapped the man on the head with an outstretched right hand.

"He was going to tell you, moron rabbit!"

Roy chuckled for a moment. From now on, things will stop being so carefree, even though it already was.

"Our next destination," Roy frowned. "Is an old laboratory now under custody of Central. It's name is the Fifth Laboratory."

"Fifth Laboratory?"

Lavi and Kanda looked at the brothers, thinking that Ed and Al knew the place.

"What kinda name is that?" Ed tilted his head sideways, and they sweatdropped. _So they freaked out over a name?_

"No reason, apparently," Roy sighed. "No, actually, it's one of the facilities used by Central to experiment Alchemic Innocence. The location of the disaster of the Exorcist Zero Project."

Ed and Al gasped, and then calmed down. Kanda's eyes flickered some interest, and he looked at Roy, who understood the younger man's motives.

"All right, I'll talk," Roy sighed again. "I only got this from Lavi's grandfather, Bookman, a long time ago. It's a story very few people know. The ordeal was so bad they managed to cover almost all evidence up. Let me first ask you a question. Do you know why there are no Alchemic Innocence users known around the Order?"

Ed and Al tensed at the mention of the idea. They knew the story, but Kanda and Lavi didn't. Just yet.

"Fifty years ago," Roy continued. "The Black Order at the time began receiving many Exorcists they couldn't identify Innocence type with. Then the Eastern Sage, a middle-aged man with blonde hair, and square glasses, appeared before, and offered to help the Order's Science Division at the time to help with their research on the new Innocence.

"However, after one year, he left with no reason, and the scientists were left in confusion. By then, five Laboratories were established specifically for the research of Alchemy, and the project was called Exorcist Zero Project. Those who had this strange type of Innocence were simply called Alchemists. A majority of these Alchemists were mostly a certain race, additionally, white hair and red eyes, but I digress. The research program for the new category of Innocence was thriving in many ways, everyone had high hopes for this program. Then, one of the Alchemists' missions went awry, but in the process this man formed a strange item: the Philosopher's Stone."

Lavi frowned. "I've heard of that before… In one of the documents my grandfather wrote when he was younger. There were some scientists, like Isaac Newton and Nicholas Flamel, who wanted that stone. The Philosopher's Stone… I believe, grants immortality and the ability to turn lead into gold, or create something from thin air and ignore the law of conservation of mass, right?"

"Exactly," Roy nodded. "I'm not sure Malcolm Leverrier wasn't alive at the time… but his grandfather, Cornelius Leverrier, was head of this project. As you know, ever since the founding of the Order, the Leverrier family technically dominates the high-positions in Central. Well, he found out that the stone created was a Philosopher's Stone and after seeing that the stone can amplify the performance of Innocence, he started to make more."

Lavi watched as Ed began to gulp in fear at Roy's next words.

"However," Roy closed his eyes in contemplation. "The stone was actually made at a horrible price. Recently, Edward and I had been researching it to find that the creation of a Philosopher's stone requires… the sacrifice of human souls… not one, but multiple, disembodied or not. That means Akuma can be used. One Level Three could make a sufficient amount for a small lump of this red stone, since it was a demon that strong has devoured so many souls. Cornelius instead reasoned that it was for the good of the Holy War, and kept on with research, even against his subordinates' wishes.

"The Alchemists were also in disagreement to Cornelius's plans. They had researched on their own, keeping research in the form of coded notes only they and possibly other Alchemists can decrypt themselves. Then they came upon the realization of the truth of this grand elixir, as I had mentioned earlier. They began to revolt against Central and leave the Order, going against the Earl on their own, supposedly. Evidence then uncovered that Alchemists did not fight the Earl, but instead followed him, at a very subtle hint. This was fifteen years ago, apparently."

"That's so recent…" Lavi gasped. "but I never heard of it…"

"They covered it up," Ed grumbled. "This event was too painful to the Order's records."

"Anyways," Kanda looked at Roy. "How did they prove that the Alchemists were working with the Earl? There should be proof."

Roy steepled his hands, hiding his face behind them. "Proof? The real research they did was not the stone, but human transmutation, the process of bringing people back to life from death. This attempt proved horrendous to the Order, since the result was too similar to the process of the creation of Akuma. Wanting to keep their research, Alchemists fled the Order completely to work in secret, specifically in Germany.

"However, Cornelius was not going to let the secret go so easily. Then came from Order #3066, passed by the Council Head of Central himself, and the simple description of the order was this. All Alchemists will be executed for going against the laws of the Black Order, and those still in the Order will be imprisoned as traitors within Central."

Lavi gasped and Kanda seemed really disgusted and alarmed.

"To top it off, the Council Head allowed execution at the hands of CROW and fellow Exorcists themselves. Deaths were played as accidents to civilians and government officials, when it was really organized murder elaborately set up. The results were reported to be horrific. Exorcists were not saviors anymore, but killing machines, just like Akuma. Not only that, Cornelius continued the making of Philosopher's Stone, not using Akuma, but Alchemic Innocence Exorcists."

Ed and Al looked away, and Lavi continued to watch their anguished faces.

"The genocide of Alchemic Innocence users already ended a long time ago, after the death of Cornelius, and his son, Gregory Leverrier, took over the project. Even though his reign in his position lasted only five years, to atone for the crimes his father had done, he made Order #3066 ineffective, and tore down the Exorcist Zero Project. He requested that survivor Exorcists who had Alchemic Innocence come back, since they were able to. The hard part was the fact that by that time, all Alchemic Innocence users were wiped out completely, and none were found again. Discrimination against Alchemists was so high, those who came left the next day and never came back.

"Even so, if one managed to show up, it was considered a rare case. Some joined anyways, but under the identity as a different Innocence type, for exampled, pretending that their 'fake' weapons is really their Alchemic Innocence when their Innocence is actually within their bodies. Hevlaska must have found out, but because she respectful to fellow Exorcists, she probably kept their secret a secret.

"However, nowadays, Alchemic Innocence seems to be getting more popular these days. The grudge between Alchemists and the Black Order has faded, and the bonds have been rekindled, so no one here has anything to worry about."

Roy eyed the Elric brothers for a second.

"Ed and Al, as you know, possess Alchemic Innocence, and have survived the aftermath of Order #3066, specifically Edward Elric here. Their father is actually the legendary Van Hoeinheim, the Eastern Sage, and the man who jump started the Exorcist Zero Project, by accident or intention, we don't know. The number of documents on this event are so scarce, despite the size of this internal war.

"Back to the topic. Laboratory 5 is the location of a coup d'état Alchemists held during Order #3066. That is also the location where most of the Philosopher's stones were created. The problem is, that we need to cleanse the place of Akuma. I've sent Havoc and Breda over there for a month now, and they've confirmed that the place is packed with Akuma, so they suspect Noah are present at the time.

"Therefore, after talking with Komui, I've assigned to you full-scale mission, and that means, I will have to accompany you. Komui wants to add Lenalee Lee into the endeavor as well, so it'll be six of us on that train. We're leaving tomorrow morning. And sorry boys, to make you on the move right when you came back from two missions straight. It's a good thing you had at least one day to cool off. I'll try to give you a break after this."

"As if," Ed snorted, and Roy smiled at Ed's sardonic behavior. The thought of going outside again was refreshing. He was quite ready to be in action once again.

The door opened and a tall man clothed in the Silver Shield's uniform stepped in. His eyes were of a harsh red, and his hair was white and gray. His well built body was hidden by the thickness of his uniform, and his face wore a scowl. Other than that, there was a scar that covered a good portion of his forehead in the shape of an X.

"Colonel Mustang," He began in a gruff voice. "Everyone is ready to go."

"What about us!" Ed asked, and Scar sighed.

"You better hurry, Edward."

"B-But-"

"Calm down, Fullmetal," Roy stopped his apprentice from exploding. "Thank you, Scar. I'll meet at the front gate."

Scar nodded and turned on his heel before going away. Kanda and Lavi wondered who this man was.

* * *

Once again, the train ride was just plain boring, so everyone slept for the most part. The only interesting thing was Scar, who was assigned to accompany the Exorcists as a Finder. Kanda expected to see gun holsters on the man, but he saw none, and received cold stares from Scar, whom he glared back at. They arrived in weary feet, and found themselves along a countryside.

"The Fifth Laboratory was built far away, so the towns around it wouldn't be disturbed," Roy explained.

They trudged for a long time, day and night, and Ed was tired of seeing trees and trees. He allowed his mind to wander off to other things. It's funny that his and Roy's idea of using the Elrics' ability to tap into the small amount of power that was reserved for the Eastern Sage alone would really work. They only found small documents, but it was only theory, and those documents belonged to his bastard of a father, Van Hoeinheim.

Obviously, like any Alchemist, the documents were written in code. Painstaking all-nighters had stretched that month and they finally decrypted the messages and found some juice on Eastern Sage, so it was technically an autobiography.

Codes…. He himself had a code for his own research. Being the genius he was, his research papers would have looked like a travelogue to an ordinary person, and they were so well coded that even his own brother couldn't decrypt it yet. Ed had challenged Lavi one time to attempt to decrypt it, and amazingly, Lavi did manage to do so. Fascinated by coding, Lavi continuously assisted Ed with his research with the coding. They promised to keep what they wrote a secret.

The team of Exorcists managed to quicken the journey by hopping onto a passing horse-buggy, and they were at the gates of the old Laboratory in no time. Assuming no one would come in, they opened the door, and crept through. After ten minutes of searching for an exit, Al managed to find the old entrance boarded up with barbed wire. Ed easily transmuted the barbed wire into a reinforced door for them to enter.

Not long after, they found themselves in a great many series of passageways. Endless shafts of light stretched, but three main ones were the big picture. Roy stared at it for a moment and turned to everyone else.

"Split up," Roy told them. "Scar, Lenalee, and Alphonse, take the passage to the left. Kanda and Lavi, take the right. Fullmetal and I will go straight ahead."

The others promptly nodded, and ran through their assigned routes, leaving Ed and Roy alone. Ed then scrunched his face up in a scowl and turned his way towards the path before him.

* * *

"Kanda, watch your head," Lavi reminded the man in a sing-song voice that made Kanda snarl. The route they took turned from a dark stone walkway into a jungle of mossy vines and shattered rubble. Just recently, Kanda was just so close to getting his head impaled.

"Shut up, Idiot rabbit," The man scowled back.

"Well, you might knock yourself out, and then I have to carry back. Isn't that a good thing that you have me along?"

"No." Kanda gave him a look of disgust. Lavi then sighed exasperatedly.

"Then watch out."

"You didn't need to tell me, idiot rabbit!"

"Okay, okay," Lavi held his hands up in a defeated manner. "Have it your way.

Kanda then stopped as he bent over noticing a strange black dust that covered an area. Taking a small sample of it on his palm, he sifted the dust through the creases of his fingers and stood up again.

"Akuma must be nearby," He declared. "Better keep your guard up."

"Okay," Lavi nodded and drew his hammer and enlarged it to average size. He couldn't risk ambush attempts either…

* * *

Lenalee found nothing but long corridors of lamp lit walls and cold, hard stone floors. Al stayed beside her, staying on high alert, while Scar stayed up front walking just as cautiously. Lenalee had tucked Timcampy in her sleeve, and it lay nestled there for the time being. It gave a small nudge with its wings on her arm, and she complied by allowing it to slip out and follow her distantly behind so Al and Scar would not notice.

"Hey, Lenalee?" Al's voice made her turn to him.

"What is it, Al?"

"Just… that… have you heard of an Order 3066 before?"

"No… not exactly… why do you ask?"

Alphonse then shook his head and reverted his sights on the path once again. "It's… nothing…"

"If you want to tell me something, you can tell me…" Lenalee tilted her head in confusion slightly. "I'm good at keeping secrets."

"It's not a secret," Alphonse disagreed. "But… have you been tortured before?"

Lenalee raised her eyebrow at him as if he were crazy. Scar was listening, as Al could tell from the slight shuffle in his footsteps.

"I have…" Lenalee answered frankly. "I haven't forgotten the time when I was very young…seven or ten years old, to say the least. I was treated like a test subject for Innocence. I was compatible with my Dark Boots, you see, so the Order took me away from my old home in China, and stuck me in the former Order Headquarters. It was horrible back then, until my brother managed to become Supervisor, and then I was finally released from the place they kept me captive. They chained me to the bed because I would attempt to commit suicide if I was let free."

Al gazed at her with sympathetic eyes. "Oh… that must be… really… hard for you…"

"Not at all!" Lenalee wore a fake smile. "You know, the Order has many people with strange pasts. Take the Exorcists we have for example. Miranda used to be a depressed klutz who couldn't get a job. Krory was an isolated nobleman who was guilty for killing people when they were really Akuma. Marie used to have eyesight, but now he's blind from a very traumatic accident while in the field. Chaoji was made an Exorcist in the times of crisis, during the capture of the Ark. Timothy was an orphan who had to face his mind controlled 'mother.' All of us had our troubles before coming to the Order, so we understand the pain."

"Oh…" Al smiled back. Lenalee then sighed.

"Do you have anything dark about your past?"

"M-me?" Al asked. Scar actually turned around this time, not saying a word.

"Yes, you!" Lenalee smiled. Al then hesitated before explaining.

"I didn't really go through that, actually…" He sighed in defeat. "It was my brother who went through almost what happened to you… I feel quite sad that there were more people other than my brother who had to go through an ordeal like that…"

"Yes," Scar joined in, nearly sending the two Exorcists off their feet. "Your brother Edward really did have a handful…"

Alphonse nodded to agree. Scar then continued down the hall and stopped short, noticing a door. He stared at it in wonder, questioning whether or not he should open it.

* * *

Tyki Mikk, also known as Joyd, or the Noah of Pleasure, was patiently drumming his fingers on the armrests of his rosewood chair. Road sat in an identical chair opposite him, her face turned to the window of the nearly torn down Laboratory Five. She had seen the Exorcists arrive, and Tyki had dispatched several Akuma in all the paths of the facility. In Tyki's eyes it was rare for Road to be in her fake human mode, with pale skin and purple eyes, but for the past days, she had frequently taken that form. He assumed that it was because she was paranoid of Exorcists detecting that she was a Noah. After all, her forehead wasn't covered in bangs like he to hide the Noah markings away from public view.

The Noah of Dreams wore a look of longing as if she wanted to go somewhere… other than here. Where? She wasn't sure at all, but she knew she had to go somewhere from here. Her mind split into two didn't help, either.

"You can stay here to watch," Tyki smiled. He knew his sister was very much in pain, but he didn't dare question why. She probably was breaking from the stress of being bored for so long.

"Okay." Road nodded, and she looked out the window again. The last time she did this, she had been watching Allen and his friends struggle against her wishes, but now she didn't know why she looked out the window anymore. She wondered if she was plotting against them or rooting for them. She could curse that Alphonse boy to hell for so many times… but she faltered at the thought.

One half of her was calm and silent, suggesting she go off and assist, but another half told her to obey her brother and be the spectator. She was having the same feeling she felt when she had first met Allen. Now she knew all the reasons why Alphonse set her free and how he could use his Innocence inside the Dream World. The answer was clearly laid out.

Road got up from her chair and headed to the door. Yes, she was feeling very guilty.

* * *

Ed and Roy found another fork in the road, this time, two paths. Without thought, they divided promptly to the nearest way for them, Ed taking the right, Roy taking the left. A small sideways look from Roy before being unable to see Ed's face told the younger Exorcist to be careful.

The trip stretched on for the Fullmetal Alchemist as he continued to trudge in more treacherous grounds, where the destruction of stone and the overgrowth of plants obstructed his view numerous times. It wasn't long before he arrived in a room whose walls were sandy brown. The floor and pillars that supported the tall ceiling were of the same color theme. The first thing he noticed was a large transmutation circle in the middle of the floor.

Taking a closer look, Ed gave a small frown at the circle before him. Splatters of old blood still remained, and a small table in the middle of the room told him everything. This was where sacrifices were used. It made him sick to picture how it all happened.

"What is this?" Ed thought aloud. "Is it something for creating the Philosopher's stone?"

"That is correct."

A clink of heavy armor made him spin around on his feet, looking for the source. The load footsteps of metal making contact with the floor made him turn around once again, only to see a large suit of iron cast armor standing before him.

"I don't know who you are, kid," It said in a man's voice. "But if you can tell by looking at the transmutation circles…"

Ed frowned in discontent. "Who are you, pal?"

The armor began to advance towards him. "I am the one who guards this place. I'll go with the name 'Number 48' for now. And by the way, I'm not your pal."

The armor received a steely glare from the Fullmetal Alchemist, but it continued.

"I have orders to dispose of any outsiders who come in here, poking their noses around where they shouldn't. Try not to take it personally."

"Alright," Ed kept his glare. He clapped his hands and transmuted his metal arm into an long blade. "Well, you try not to take it personally when this boy kicks your ass!"

A murmur of contemplation welled over the armor. "You're an alchemist, are you?"

The armor was gone in a flash before coming an inch away from Ed's face.

"All right, let's see what you've got."

It swung a large thin sword at Ed's head. The boy immediately ducked and took steps back to avoid several slashes to his abdomen. One time the blade of the armor's sword clanged with the sword created from his automail.

"A prosthetic arm? No matter, my sword can pierce through steel as well as flesh."

Giving a sharp battle cry, it proceeded to strike Ed down with a slash going the side of his head, but Ed deflected it with some struggle. He immediately charged at it, blade outstretched, but the armor backed up again. It gave a swipe at Ed, who ducked and landed a hard kick to the torso. The opponent was blown back a feet or so before catching itself. Ed then gasped at the realization of what the sound the armor made when he kicked it. Ed was shocked that the armor could even move, let alone speak.

"My, my, what's this?" Ed smiled. "I'm gonna go on a lin here and say that you're hollow inside!"

The armor stood up in a relaxed position. "You're a perceptive one."

"I can tell from the sound. I've done lots of research." Ed answered. "No strings attached."

The Fullmetal Alchemist recalled seeing the concept before, bonding a soul to inanimate objects using the blood seal as a medium. Apparently, according to the limited sources he, Roy, and Al had, such deeds were deemed forbidden by the Alchemist's Code.

"Hm," The armor reconsidered. "Perhaps I should introduce myself again. 48 is the number that I had been assigned when I was on death row. Back when I had a body, I was better known amongst the order as Slicer. I, like you, was an Alchemic Exorcist, you see, and a bloodthirsty one. I was taken here for some good reason, since I proved a threat to everyone. And you know of the Order#3066, do you?"

"So you were slated for defecting from the Black Order and nearly causing a massacre," Ed simplified it. "Tell me something. This laboratory… Did they use condemned alchemists like you to Philosopher's Stones here?"

"Well, I don't know so much," Slicer answered. "They only saw my skills, stuck my soul in this armor, and made me their guard dog of this area."

"Interesting…" Ed thought. "I'm sure they gave you a seal, too, to serve as a medium for soul and armor? And to maintain the armor, they used an Innocence fragment to make sure you stay in one piece, am I right?"

"Yes," The armor unfastened the cloth around the helmet and lifted the flap to show a crimson red circle pattern etched onto the armor. "I do have a blood seal, and Innocence. This is it right here…. If you destroy this seal… The fight's yours."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "That's awfully considerate of you… to show me your weak spot."

"I like to give myself an extra challenge during a fight every so now and then."

"I find you're in such a giving mood, then how about this?" Ed tried to negotiate. "Why not just let me go?"

The armor then put back the helmet flap and fastened the cloth over it again."Nice try, kid, but what kind of mad Exorcist lets his prey get away so easily? Now… let's fight."

Ed readied his arm blade and braced himself. He wasn't going to come clean out of this one.

* * *

A distinct rumbling and crashing of stone put the black haired Marshall on high alert. He spun around to look behind him for a moment before getting back on track.

"Looks like the others got in some trouble…" Roy said to himself.

A small sound of a pebble being pushed aside made his hairs stand on end again as he readied his gloves to produce flames. His eyes hardened ever so slightly, and he took a low stance.

"Who's there?" He demanded, and a soft chuckle came from around the walls. The voice echoed, and finding where the voice came from was proven difficult.

"There's no need to be so worked up…" The voice taunted, and Roy's eyes narrowed in frustration.

"I don't like to fight enemies who don't show themselves," Roy commented. "If you plan to kill, at least let me see your face."

"Ah, well…" the voice retorted. "But if you insist…"

From the wall to his right stepped a tall lean man with messy brown hair that had been tied into a ponytail to avoid messiness. He wore a suit with a black longcoat, white dress coat, and black slacks and shoes. His skin was of an abnormal gray, as if he had risen from the dead. His eyes, golden with interest, bore into Roy's, who seemed unnerved by the appearance.

"A Noah, I presume?" Roy asked flatly. "From my sources, you are Tyki Mikk, the Noah of Pleasure, also known as Joyd."

The man then laughed, and lifted the curly brown bangs that covered the said marks of a Noah, and continued to laugh.

"I'm impressed with your knowledge, Exorcist," He smirked. "Although I may warn you, you pay a price for knowing…"

"That's fine," Roy frowned. "Thanks for the warning, though."

"You don't seem a bit scared that I am a Noah," Tyki tilted his head in wonder. "You think you can beat me?"

"Ah, right…" Roy straightened slightly. "I forgot my own manners. I am Roy Mustang, if you must know…"

"Roy Mustang?" Tyki looked at the man with some surprise. "Well, Roy Mustang it is! You have a few questions about this place?"

"A bucket load, I suppose," Roy smiled. "You care to answer them for me?"

"I'm sorry," Tyki kept his fake smile on. "I'm running quite late, today, so I'll have to be taking my leave."

Immediately, a malevolent grin replaced the kind one. Tyki raised his hands before him, palms faced upwards. Immediately, black and purple butterflies sprouted from his hands and once forming fully, they launched from the hands that created them and headed straight for Roy. The Marshall could tell there were about fifty butterflies or so, and he immediately allowed his gloves to produce a small snap.

A large wave of red and yellow flames shot from the pristine white gloves and outflanked the tease in one fluid motion, engulfing the deleterious creatures with harsh heat. The delicate black and purple wings crumbled to ashes and finally fell to the floor in a black heap of ash.

Tyki smirked as Roy easily his gloves to produce fires with only gloves.

"I'm even more impressed," Tyki smiled, adjusting the white gloves of his own. "You're quite more powerful than I expected."

"I tend to keep my explosive personality controlled," Roy gave a clever smile. "But I let it go wild once in a while."

"You mean you haven't let loose yet?" Tyki raised an eyebrow and then sighed. "Anyways… I've told you already, I'm running late, so I'm afraid I have to end our conversation…"

In a flash, Tyki was out of sight, and Roy felt a bead of sweat run down his face. A gust of wind rushed past him, and before Roy could fully tell that the Noah was behind him, the man grasped his arm. The Marshall turned around so sharp that the hands that held one of his arms slid down to his hands, grabbing hold of the glove and creating a tear down the middle. The next second, another gust of wind rushed by again, and his second glove was sliced to ribbons. Roy gasped as the gloves received large tears. Tyki laughed as he watched Roy stare helplessly at the ripped cloth in his hands.

"And what happens, when I take away your gloves, Mustang?" Tyki smiled. "I doubt you can do anything about that, hm…?"

Mustang grit his teeth in frustration. Curse himself for forgetting to bring an extra set of gloves!

Tyki flexed his fingers, wondering what face his opponent would do once his heart is taken out.

**A/N: Hey! Oh, and I found this manga called Code Breaker on OneManga, and there's this character who kinda looks like Mustang a bit and has powers like him. So he's some black-haired guy who can set things on fire with his hands, except that the flames are blue, because the heat level is so high. I've been reading it, and it's okay, not as good as Fullmetal itself… Oh, Code Breaker has moderate fan service, mind you…. Order 3066 actually does exist in the manga for Fullmetal. Riza only briefly mentioned that. Zero Exorcist Project is derived from the canon names in D Gray-Man, such as Second Exorcist, and Third Exorcist (both of which are really horrible experiments, if you may know). Since I think First would've meant Exorcist who had the Innocence naturally through non-forceful means (ie. jamming Innocence into a person's body), so Zero would mean something that used to be nonexistent become real, therefore, the formation of Alchemic Innocence, which was once believed unclassified.**

**Ah, yes, and I have actually planned a small manga adaptation for this story, so I've already posted the first page on my DA account, so those who really want to see how it's like can go see it. The real awesome artwork doesn't come out until later.**

**Next Chapter, Contemplation: Lenalee discovers a strange tattoo on Scar's arm and questions its power. Alphonse suspects that Lenalee might know of Allen's whereabouts. Ed and Slicer continue to fight, and Roy Mustang presents his ace trick to Tyki. The Exorcists encounter Road Kamelot, who will give her answer to a turnover opportunity the Shield had set out for her. A new enemy appears, giving the Exorcists more competition to search for Allen Walker, owner of the Crowned Clown.**


	16. Contemplation

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 16 – Contemplation**

* * *

They heard a deafening crash from behind the door and Lenalee, Al, and Scar braced themselves. Al sensed a small disturbance in the earth, and shouted at Scar.

"Scar! Back away! It's a herd of Akuma!"

The man did so, and just then, the door was kicked down and sent flying across the corridor. The metal panel finally bounced and fell floppily to the floor with a loud bang. The cause was exactly as Al had described. Akuma. Loads and loads of Akuma.

Al frowned as he made a small raised ramp, and vaulted off, jumping upon the Akuma. Immediately, he flung a handful of daggers effortlessly, and landed to the floor, using knives to draw a purification array on the hard stone, and activating it. Within seconds, the Akuma were easily destroyed, and Al allowed Lenalee to destroy the rest. Scar stayed back from the brawl, noticing that there was an Akuma sneaking behind Lenalee. Immediately he darted from his hiding place to reach the emerald haired girl.

Al begun to notice as well.

"Lenalee! Look out behind you!"

Before Lenalee could use her Innocence on the Akuma behind her, a large flash of red light blinded her, followed by a loud explosion of a saved Akuma. Lenalee blinked at the clearing smoke, seeing Scar, and his right arm outstretched. His sleeve had torn off, revealing an intricate tattoo written over his arm. Smoke was coming from Scar's arm.

Al frowned as he rushed to Lenalee.

"Lenalee… you okay?"

"Fine."

Lenalee looked at Scar in a puzzled sense.

"Why… did he…"

Al looked about again, and saw no more Akuma coming. He gave a small sideways glance at Scar, who silently nodded. Usually Scar was not a man of many words, and he allowed others to speak for him. Alphonse turned to Lenalee and opened his mouth to speak.

"Scar…" He started. "is an Exorcist, just like us."

"But how-"

"Let me finish, please, Lenalee…" Alphonse's warm eyes hardened. "Scar is a survivor of an accident in the Order called Order 3066, where the higher ups executed anyone with Alchemic Innocence because of something bad the Alchemists did."

Lenalee looked at him in horror and fascination, urging him to continue.

"Scar comes from Egypt, you see…" Al started. "Well, he was part of a traveling caravan around Europe from the Middle East. He was found compatible with Innocence and was forced to leave his nomadic family and join the Order when he was very young, just like you…"

Lenalee's eyes sank, remembering the horrors of her past.

"Order 3066 occurred when he just arrived and had his Innocence tagged as alchemy. He safely escaped, and went into hiding for a decade before coming back to enlist as a Finder. My brother's master, Roy Mustang, found out that Scar was secretly an Exorcist, and recruited him into the founding team for the Silver Shield. Hevlaska knows, too."

"Oh… but what about now?" Lenalee asked. Alphonse shook his head.

"Scar doesn't want to be found anyways," He added. "He fears that someone from Central might find records of him and put him in trouble."

A small silence completed Al's explanation, and they jolted at the bangs and shouts coming from up ahead.

"It's a personal thing," Al sighed, ushering her to the door the Akuma destroyed. "This isn't the time to talk. You should ask him yourself if you want better details."

Lenalee complied and said nothing. She saw Timcampy whiz by Scar's head so quickly, only she could have seen it, but she doubted herself when she noticed that Alphonse held a look of suspicion of the area behind Scar before heading to the door.

* * *

Another whirlwind of fire swooped right past Tyki's face as he stood in complete shock. A bead of sweat dripped down his cheek. He was sure he ripped this Exorcist's gloves off. How come this man could still use Innocence?

Roy picked up the vexed look on the Noah's face and smirked.

"You Noah are sometimes fooled too easily…" Roy smiled. "It's not the gloves that actually are my power here."

He pointed his finger to his temple. "It's all in here."

Tyki then scoffed. "You're quite a smart guy, Roy Mustang. Having Alchemy is really nice, isn't it?"

"And you're quite clever, too," Roy smiled. "Yes, my Innocence is not Equip, but Alchemic. I just like to keep the fact that it looks like I have Equip instead."

"Nice try, though," Tyki shook his head, and he walked closer to Roy by a foot. "You'll just face the Tease head on, gloves or not."

"Not that I care," Roy frowned, ready to snap with his bare fingers. "I guess you'll have to see how hard I can burn you. Do you remember the first time your sister, the Noah of Lust, had died?"

"I recall finding her remains," Tyki grimaced. "I didn't think you were the one who actually charred poor Lulubell to death. You seemed too kind-hearted. She's back again, and I'm sure she'll be back for your head."

"That was a small penalty," Roy explained. "For shattering the lower spine of one of my subordinates. Had it not been for my students, he would have lost the ability to walk for the second time of his life."

"That's amazing," Tyki continued the conversation. "I've never seen someone so devoted to keeping his subordinates safe. It must feel good, to have a feeling of protectiveness."

His hands grew more Tease, this time, a more powerful kind, dark purple and white striped wings and bloodthirsty golden jaws of chattering skulls for abdomens. Roy bent down to a fighting stance once again. No slacking off for him this time.

* * *

The fight for the secrets of the laboratory continued as Edward charged straight at the suit of armor that was making his way to him. Their blades intercepted each other. They struggled to gain the upper hand of the battle, and Slicer proceeded to strike again, he swung his sword sideways at Ed's abdomen, but the shorter (dare I say it) fighter swerved away, keeping his sword on guard and catching the flying blade, making him slide across the floor a few feet.

Slicer made a diagonal cut upon him, but Ed caught it just in time, but he had used both hands to block the attack, leaving half of his body open. The opponent saw this as a good chance to get rid of him quick, but Ed's quick hands dropped down and prevented the slice.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar clank of metal echoed in his right arm, and Ed turned his attention to it instantly. The sensation of the metal didn't feel right as it churned briefly against a nerve cord. His shoulder didn't feel right, not at all…

Slicer noticed this hesitation in the boy's movements and executed a clean slice to his head. Edward watched with dilating pupils as he gasped, arching backwards so the sword would only cut a millimeter's worth of his straw-blond hair. He used the allotted time to flip backwards, but Slicer charged again, his sword ready to swing again at the same time Ed landed softly on the ground. He recounted Winry's words for his automail update recently that week.

_I increased the percentage of chrome, so it's less prone to rusting but it's not as strong… so don't try anything crazy._

Edward continued to dodge by retreating over and over again, to think of a game plan.

_I'll have to find a way to end this quickly_… Ed considered. "Or else… I'm dead!"

Ed took the initial attack by thrusting his arm blade at the armor, but it stopped abruptly, letting Ed's weapon slide across its sword before swinging back again. The boy jumped back, his hands by his side. The armor then spun to gain more momentum to hit the boy again, but with a harder force. However, Ed ducked, luckily, and dodged another swing before attempting to jump at the opponent again, unfortunately countered the next moment.

In mid-air, he rolled back as he jumped away, performing a nice flip and jumping back again. He attacked again, but the sword was countering his at an angle he had nowhere to move. Slicer lifted his foot and kicked Ed in the stomach. Ed grunted in pain as he slammed in the floor, creating a small cloud of dust about him.

The Slicer approached the vulnerable boy, and tried stabbing him square in the stomach, only to allow Ed enough time to perform a risky back roll flip. Another slash at him prompted to flip again to dodge, but as he landed, a pang of agony in his left arm was thrown into his systems. A small stream of blood spurted from the newly made wound in his shoulder, causing him to wince and clench his teeth.

But the armor did not hesitate or say anything. Ed was backed against a pillar, giving him a good chance of to attack. Ed ducked all of the attacks, which was highly unexpected for someone backed against a wall with blades flying from three sides. He jumped away into open space, and landed with his back turned to the armor. The Slicer spun quickly and briskly thrust the katana at Ed's temple, grazing it, but before the blade could go any further, Ed stared back with a horrified look on his face, and ran his blade across the katana to stop it.

Slicer gave up on attacks sideways, and then attempted another stab from above, and Ed flipped backwards with a seething hiss in his throat, for the blade had struck the wound at his temple, opening the cut even more. His movements became groggy, so he lost footing and landing on his bottom instead. He panted heavily, his eyes wide in fatigue, and his head continued to spin. Slicer then stopped fighting, setting his sword into the stone floor.

"What a cute little monkey…" He commented. Ed's mouth twitched at the certain word, and he mentally burst into flames.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?"

The armor then laughed heartily, and Ed stared questioningly. "It's been too long since I had prey that was worth hunting…"

He picked up his sword again, and it flashed dangerously at Ed, who was two yards away.

"But you're tired and wounded now…" Slicer sympathized. "You won't last much longer. Right about now, the Akuma the Noah are commanding shall be finishing off the friends you brought along on your pointless journey."

"Oh… so you're allies with the Noah?" Ed asked, still panting. "You were drawing us in to get rid of us?"

"Actually…" The armor tilted his head slightly. "I found Exorcists fun to fight with, so I complied. Additionally, they did try to threaten me with destroying the Innocence bestowed in me."

"However… Are those Akuma stronger than you?" Ed asked. Slicer stopped to think.

"They are powerful," He answered. "But not as strong as me. My fighting power would be the worth of a Level Four."

Ed's response to the answer was a small fit of laughing, as if he had heard the funniest laugh in the world.

"In that case…" Ed propped himself up and finally got to his feet. "I don't need to worry. You see, Master and my little brother have fought me for a long time. The same could go for Kanda, too. You see, I still haven't beaten any of them."

Snap.

An immense explosion roared through the air, debris flying around the laboratory, and embers flying about. The ceiling had surprisingly remained intact from all the impact Roy had caused on its foundations, but he was sure he didn't allow the flames to collapse upon him and the Noah.

"Your power seems to rebound upon you…" Tyki grinned dangerously. "Every time you snap, you create fire with the friction in your fingers, so the skin burns… doesn't that hurt, Mustang?"

* * *

Mustang took a split second to examine his fingers. Indeed, they were sore and red… Luckily the Innocence was sustaining his skin from any more damage…

"I know that my skin is burning…" Mustang prepared to snap again. "But I'm sure I can last long enough to burn you to crisp."

* * *

"Your friends and family are that good, I see…" Slicer wondered. "Then I'll have to hurry up and defeat you so I can go to taking care of them."

Ed slumped his shoulders, wracking his mind of the pain he was enduring, and his golden amber eyes flitted to the pillars behind his enemy. Bingo.

Slicer suspected a plan formulating in Ed's mind.

"Go, Master, do it now!" Ed shouted, but inside he mentally slapped himself. _Damnit… Why did I say Master? Al is more awesome than that bastard… I think Lavi would've been good, too…_

"What?" Slicer took no chance to turn around to see who Al was, but saw no one. Ed put on his Cheshire grin, and ambushed the armor. Before Slicer could do anything, Ed then struck the helmet with his blade and knocked it off the rest of its body.

"That was dirty!" The head exclaimed, still in the air.

"There's no such thing as dirty in a fight!" Ed was still soaring in the air as the metal entity clanged resoundingly to the floor. Ed landed soundlessly again, and transmuted his arm blade back to normal with a clap of his hands. The helmet watched in fascination as he saw a green glowing orb of light surrounded by chains bounce out of the fallen body of armor, which the Blonde Alchemist pocketed for storage. The armor then frowned as Ed approached slowly, but with no intent of transmuting a sword to pierce the blood seal.

"What's the matter?" He asked. "You still haven't destroyed the blood seal that I had so kindly pointed out. You going to or not?"

Ed kept his temper and strolled to the helmet, grabbing it by the long white plume that was attached atop the helmet, and held the piece of metal close to his face.

"There's something I need to ask you about," Ed frowned, still tired from the fight.

"The Philosopher's Stone?" The armor asked, and Ed shook his head.

"No," Ed continued. "I want to know what you know about Van Hoeinheim. Tell me everything about it, Alchemist."

"Sorry," the helmet put up a sassy attitude. "Not telling."

"Hey now," Ed smirked, trying to get the helmet to talk. "Tell me. I did beat you at your own game."

"That's where you're wrong," the helmet contradicted the boy. "I'm not beaten yet."

"Ed spun around and saw the beheaded armor point the katana at him. Ed gasped just as he dropped the helmet and backed away, but he received a deep cut in his side this time. He clutched his bleeding wounds with his automail arm.

"Impossible!" Ed gasped.

"I forgot to mention something about this bloodthirsty Alchemist." Slicer smiled.

"In fact," the armor with no head continued in a higher pitched voice. "The crimes were committed by two brothers!"

"An independent head and body?" Ed snarled. "That's a dirty trick!"

"Now now…" Slicer, the head, taunted Ed. "Weren't you the one who said there's no such thing as dirty tricks in a fight?"

"Are you ready?" Slicer's body brandished his sword before taking an offensive stance, straight at Edward. "Round Two's about to begin, short stuff."

"Don't call me short!" Ed defiantly yelled.

The armor didn't care, for he charged without warning slashing away at Ed.

"I don't think so!" It happily replied. "Because I won't give you any time to transmute!"

Ed began his strategy to retreat again. _Damn… I've lost too much blood… I'm feeling dizzy…_

Slicer's body reversed his sword and slammed the hilt into Ed's stomach with unbelievable strength. The wind was instantly knocked out of Ed's lungs as he was thrown at inconsiderable lengths. He crashed into the floor and bounced, like a rubber ball with still some energy left, into another stone pillar, his body conveniently sitting up and his back against the wall.

_ Not good… _Ed thought. _Not good…_

Slicer's body continued to charge, and Ed was as terrified as ever.

_Here he comes… I'm going to die... I'm going to die!_

Suddenly he was reminded of his training with Scar, and an inspirational idea struck him. He clapped his hands together, and just as Slicer was about to strike the final blow, the tables turned as Ed pushed himself off the pillar with his alchemy-activated hands, produced a lightning blue crackling about him, and he placed the hands on the armor, tearing through the many layers of metal with only touch. The metal tore itself apart and the body armor clattered to the ground.

"How could you!" The body's arms flailed about, alarming Ed.

"How can you move like that?" Ed screeched. "It's freaky!"

"Brother," the flailing arms, defeated, dropped. The helmet flickered ominously.

"It seems that we have lost."

Ed, however, was very doubtful, and he began to poke the legs of the armor with his foot. "So… you're not going to tell me that you're three brothers now, aren't you?"

"No…" the body's arms made a negative answer.

"Come on, boy," Slicer's head ordered. "Kill us already. Destroy us already."

Ed struggled to get himself in a more comfortable position, his back and head pressed against the wall.

"No, I'm not a murderer," Ed answered childishly.

"With bodies like these," Slicer rebutted. "Are we even people?"

The question was met with a hesitated silence. "I considered you people whether you have physical bodies or not. If I didn't believe, that, then I wouldn't believe that the Akuma that I battled are not souls of people that need to be saved."

* * *

"Big Hammer! Little Hammer! GROW! GROW! GROW!"

Lavi dispatched a batch of Akuma in less than a minute by bashing his oversized hammer at them as if he were playing baseball. Kanda sliced through each one quickly and cleanly.

* * *

"I know that Akuma souls are really human beings that are distorted with misled corruption, and need salvation. You are a soul yourself, stuck in something foreign, not your preference, but you are living, and you have not seen heaven, and you have not been ripped away from heaven to serve as the Millennium Earl's pawns, like the Akuma. I will not take the life of another person."

A small snort of amusement came from the helmet, which then led to a series of laughter. Ed looked inquisitively at the voice's reaction.

"Brother?" the armor body asked.

"My brother and I had been Exorcists, killing Akuma for the Order as long as we can remember. And now when we are in this suit of armor, we're being treated as humans for the first time. This must be what an Akuma feels like when they are rescued, no? For that, boy, I'll give you a parting gift. I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you how Hoeinheim contributed to the Zero Exorcist Project, and Cornelius who ordered us to drive this place."

A patter of footsteps were drawn behind him, and a suspicious figure appeared behind the conversation, his left arm raised above him, warping ominously. A great slash of green swooped by, Ed saw the imprint of an oversized human hand atop the armor and helmet, crushing it to pieces. Ed's pupils dilated once more, and a happy laughter alerted him.

The hand lifted, and Ed only saw metallic dust. To see that armor could be made into tiny fine grains was already unbelievable as the size of the hand.

"My," A male voice (or girl? He could not distinguish) echoed in the room. "That was a close call. Number 48, you should know to talk about things that don't concern you."

Ed gasped at the sight before him as the hand retracted and returned to its original owner. His mind screamed Akuma, and indeed, an Akuma, but a different type he had never seen before.

The owner of the voice was taller than Ed by a foot, his hair spiky green, reminding him of a palm tree Ed had seen on a mission in Spain (they were freshly imported, and he saw them at market). The creature appeared masculine, but wore clothes that distinctly looked feminine.

"Well, well," The man's greedy purple eyes flitted to Ed. "If it isn't the Fullmetal pipsqueak the Earl told me about."

Ed's head was still spinning profusely, thus he merely scowled at the strange boy's presence. The boy then slid a slasher smile upon his face as he approached the wounded blonde, his hands twitching to strangle anyone who saw him.

"The name's Envy," the boy bent down to Ed's level and spat at his face. "And you're Edward Elric… Son of the Eastern Sage, and an Exorcist of the Silver Shield… the Black Order."

Ed stared with a dumbfounded expression at Envy's purple eyes. A bead of sweat dripped down his bloody face. He had little strength to battle anymore. He remembered that the Innocence was still in his pocket. Ed then wondered if Envy knew of that object. Hopefully not.

"Don't call me short…" Ed growled in a small voice. "And so what if I am part of the Order?"

"I ask the questions here," Envy stroked the tip of Ed's nose, causing the other boy to back away from him.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make you!" Ed clapped his hands together, but a loud clang in his automail caused the artificial limb to drop uselessly to his side. Envy laughed at Ed's inconvenient malfunction.

"Lucky me!" He exclaimed, and then kneed the already beaten boy in the stomach, causing Ed to expectorate a small amount of blood and lose vision even more rapidly.

"Sorry…" Envy smiled, mercilessly holding the poor boy by his ponytail. Ed's eyes were rapidly uneven as he was flung to the floor to sleep, the pain in his stomach still throbbing. Envy turned on his heel, leaving Ed alone.

"I'll get you later," The strange boy smirked. "First, I must follow the orders of the Earl… I need to find the owner of the Crowned Clown. I'll get you next… Son of the Eastern Sage… and your doting daddy, too."

Ed quivered upon the floor and finally went motionless.

* * *

"One more!" Lavi shouted in relief as Kanda got rid of the final Akuma with a single stroke of a blade. This caused Lavi to break down the next wall, to a sandstone bound room with yellow lighting. Kanda sheathed his Mugen and approached the large hole that Lavi had created.

"Nice job, idiot rabbit," he flatly remarked. "You're paying the property damage for this one."

"It's an old laboratory!" Lavi whined and complained. "It's not like someone will actually come back to this place, right?"

"Maybe someone like the Alchemists who need research will!" Kanda argued back with his low deep voice. "You're so hopeless, idiot rabbit."

Lavi scanned the room again. His view was blocked by a large floor, which failed to conceal the smallest hint of golden hair and a sleeve of an Exorcist's body. Lavi jumped off from the hill of rubble to the fallen comrade.

"Ed!" Lavi shouted. Kanda slowly made his way across, noting how the rooms around the Laboratory were somehow connected. He speculated that he would meet everyone else quite soon.

"Honestly…" Kanda grumbled. "What did he run into this time?"

"Dunno…" Lavi shrugged and bent down to check Ed for injuries. "He's gotten a broken rib, that's for sure. But what could be so strong to do that? We both know that it's hard to even break this midget's bones."

Lavi hefted Ed's left arm over his shoulder and propped the boy up on his back for a piggyback ride.

"You know where the others are?" The redhead asked the ponytailed samurai, who shook his head.

"Guess it's gonna be a long night…" Kanda stared at the smashed transmutation circle on the brown ridden floor, which he could not decipher. He began to wonder if Ed had discovered anything about this. He heard the younger boy moan softly as they climbed into the original path Kanda and Lavi were assigned, and more rumbling in the earth ensued.

* * *

Al and Lenalee had gotten rid of many herds of Akuma already, while Scar was fending off on his own quite expertly. Lenalee did take some time to see what Scar did with his hand, and got a hold of some major details. Scar's tattoo allowed him to detonate Akuma from inside out. The procedure sounded gruesome, yet very effective. She dove down on a fleet of Level One's, the wings of butterflies planted on the back of her Dark Boots fluttering rapidly.

They fended off the Akuma, eliminating any strays. Lenalee had remembered someone saying that Akuma come to Exorcists for salvation, and that it was the Exorcist's job to give the souls in the Akuma ineffable peace. She found the ideal hard to believe, since they didn't really ask for her help. They technically wanted to kill her, so the thought wasn't logical, for whoever explained that to her.

Al was feeling uneasy, since his perception of the earthly wave movements was disturbed by the sense that his brother was in dire danger. He hastily got rid of a trio of Level Three, hoping that this was the last wave they'd meet, and they'd be able to find everyone else. Apparently, they only liberated the ruins, but they didn't find much. Maybe Ed did, since he spotted things and found things more easily than anyone he ever knew. But he didn't have time to waste. If his brother was possibly in danger, he needed to be at his brother's side to help.

Scar's explosive alkahestry was capable of breaking many walls, and he decided to go see if there were any shortcuts. The white haired man thrust his arm at the mossy walls, shattering it to pieces, and just as everyone suspected, the laboratory indeed was of interlocking rooms.

The first thing Al saw was a Noah, his brown ponytail swaying about as he dodged the fireballs thrown at him. Judging by the reports and documents, Al confirmed this man to be Tyki Mikk. Meanwhile, his brother's teacher was busily snapping away, with his bare hands. Al frowned. It seemed that Roy was going all out on this Noah. He couldn't blame Roy, though. The last time they faced a Noah, he let his guard down and nearly had the whole team killed, so fire frenzies like this was nothing regular if one knows how Roy felt towards the Noah Family.

"Master!" Al shouted. Roy gave himself to turn to the three who had arrived just now. Tyki took this opportunity to lunge at Roy, Tease forming at the last second. Roy quickly snapped again, and his sore red fingers produced another potent explosion of heat, blowing Tyki in the other direction.

"Scar! Lenalee! Alphonse!" He commanded. "Take care of the Akuma coming this way!"

The three spun around, and they saw another wave of Akuma, but much smaller than what they faced earlier, and with no hesitation, they began their umpteenth battle for the day. However the numbers were so overwhelming, Al wasn't sure if they would be able to rid the room of Akuma so easily.

"Hi Ban!"

The same fire dragon Al saw in Lior flashed past him and wrapped the many Akuma in its brutal flames. The Akuma gave a small cry, followed by a sigh of relief as they exploded all at once, with no shrapnel flinging about.

"You okay, Al!" Lavi's booming voice prompted Alphonse to lift his head. His eyes dilated as he saw an unconscious Ed on the redhead's back.

"Brother!" Al wanted to make a run, but Kanda shoved him back.

"Don't think about your brother now," He sternly snapped at the younger Exorcist. "You've got Akuma to beat. Your brother will be fine. He just needs rest."

With a quick nod, Al launched off, drawing more daggers. At this point, Lavi wondered just how many daggers the boy held, since he was using them the same way Bookman did with Heaven's Compass. He wanted to prop Ed up on a nearby pillar and get into action himself, but if Ed was left unattended, who knew if the Akuma would attack the short stack?

The younger Elric's winning streak was cut short as a shot of ice was flung down upon him, and he was set flying to the ground, the ice pinning him to the stone floor. Al struggled to break the ice that was encasing his arm onto the floor. He strained and pulled but each attempt was hopeless. His focus on getting out gave an Akuma a shining opportunity to dive on top of the boy, its arm outstretched in a sharp black blade of Dark matter. Lenalee was the first to notice, and she shrieked.

"Alphonse! Look out!"

Al only had so little time think when a large screech of clanging metals made his heart stop. He looked up at the departing dust clouds, and saw, purple hair that billowed to the shoulders. The newcomer had tan-like skin and wore a black skirt and tights along with a white blouse and bright pink tie. Her right eye was amber gold, while the other was of a deep purple hue. Her violet bangs swayed above her forehead, where small faded scars of a line of crosses were concealed.

At this point, all fighting stopped. Everyone stared at the strange girl who stood before the dissolving Akuma she had killed. Tyki was completely dumbfounded, while Roy watched with utmost concentration. The Weaving Alchemist could only gawk at the girl who protected him, and finally, his throat caught with him, and he uttered a small name…

"R-Road…" That was all Al could say.

"Alphonse…" Road smiled warmly, still struggling against the blade of dark matter from the Akuma. "Thank you… for opening my mind to what I couldn't see…"

The blade of Dark matter shattered into a million pieces upon contact with Road's counterattack. Her mismatched eyes flickered ominously to the demon as it stared in question of her actions. She held her hands before her, fingers entwined in each other, as a large cloud of sparkling white dust gathered at her clasped hands, as if they were under her command. But wait. The cloud narrowed itself into a more material form, and a pure white ribbon with dashes of ocean blue in the form of elaborate flowers, like fancy embroidery.

The patterned of ribbon extended to everlasting lengths as more clouds of white dust. The glow of the exquisite material gave Road Kamelot a more gentle appearance. No… she was not the sadistic cold Noah they knew anymore… she was different… only her golden eye to her right possessed a malicious intent, but only to win a battle, while the other, a calm resolve that silenced all doubt, reverberated from the dark purple eye of the left.

Her purple hair was blown in many directions at the gale caused by the formation of the strange ribbon. She continued to stare at the Akuma, who finally realized the fate it had brought upon itself. Roy gaped in awe, remembering just what item Road was in possession of. Lenalee and Scar were shocked beyond excitement. Lavi, still holding an unconscious Ed, was so close to dropping the load he was carrying. Kanda remained indifferent, but a look of fascination flashed by his face. Al stared at the Noah, not knowing to feel surprised or accomplished at all.

"Dance…" Road announced. "For the heavens that shower hope upon us… Blessed Snow."

There floating upon an intangible floor that resided above the real floor of the Earth lay a long length of white and blue ribbon, and it twirled by itself in ripples about its owner. Road held a short and small wooden rod that held the ribbon and allowed it to encircle her in spirals. Alphonse that at the end of the ribbon was a blue dragon embroidered into the long silky ribbon.

Everyone watched with wide eyes at the strange spectacle before them. Small questions buzzed passed their minds about the ribbon, and why Road saved Alphonse. Tyki was appalled that the older Noah, wondering if she had gone made already, and was mindlessly going to kill everyone.

A large circle of frost encircled her as she stood calmly, staring blankly at Tyki. The frost spread across the floor, rushing under and past Alphonse's feet to the very corners of the room. The ice encrusting his hand melted away and joined the frosty floor.

"What is this?" Lavi whispered. Kanda remained quiet. Scar frowned in surprise.

"It's Innocence," He answered. "The ribbon is called Blessed Snow, an Innocence that commands the frozen depths of the earth. This specific Innocence belonged to one person the General and I have found in our studies about the past Exorcists list. This young lady who is the vessel of the Noah of Dreams is named… Avalon Dante."

**A/N: Yep! Someone just has to have the name Dante in it! Avalon is apparently a really rare and not so popular name, but I guess I chose it because Kamelot is like Camelot, so Avalon is another reference to King Arthur, I guess. Ah, yes… a minor allusion to Hitsugaya and Rukia from Bleach in this chapter, especially Road's Innocence weapon.**


	17. Blessed Snow

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 17 – Blessed Snow**

* * *

"Avalon… Dante?" Lavi repeated the strange words. That was a highly unusual name. He didn't hear names like that very often, especially in that combination.

"Yes…" Scar answered the hesitant acceptance of such a name. "Avalon was formerly an Exorcist, before fully awakening as a Noah. However, such information can only be found in older documents that cannot be accessed."

"Snow…" Lenalee muttered as she saw the small clumps of frozen water forming on her black and red sleeve. The color white… so familiar…

Roy stood at ease, letting his red swollen hands drop to his sides.

"R… Road…" Tyki stuttered. Road watched with a solemn golden eye, and an apathetic violet eye.

"I will not exhaust my time to converse with a Noah," She spoke with a delicate ease in her voice. "I have a very busy schedule."

Tyki felt a bead of sweat fall down his cheek. He had seen Road's strength, but never before with this strange ribbon. Would it be more lethal than her Noah abilities are? But… he could not take any chance, and he began to charge straight at Road, who remained standing without flinching at his sudden movement. Slowly raising the right hand that held the ribbon, her mouth parted to utter a command.

"Desist!"

The ribbon acted on its own accord as it whirled before her into a spiral, and, imitating a spring, shot towards Tyki with hurtling speeds. The Noah of Pleasure was slammed away, and he was desperately attempting to hold his ground as the abnormally strong ribbon pressed on his shield of Tease.

"Hmph," Road scowled, and she waved her arm to her left, and the ribbon reinforced its own strength by compressing the ribbon on Tyki's shield, and with enough force, shattering the white defense weapon. Immediately, like animated vines, the ribbon wound itself around Tyki's arm and torso, as if Road wanted to gift wrap him and send the man back to the Earl. The winding ribbon continued to constrict the man as the coils built up to his neck, blocking out his windpipe.

"Whoa…" Lavi exclaimed. "That Innocence is almost like Allen's Crowned Clown!"

"Silly sister…" Tyki smiled. "You think that choking me will do any good?"

"I am not your sibling any longer," Road coldly replied. "Do not address me as such."

"Of course not," Tyki struggled a while to loosen the ribbons just a bit. "I cannot call you that if you're attacking me. But this is no match for Dark Matter."

With a aura-like blade of black glowing light, he sliced away the ribbons, and Road looked on with small surprise as the ribbon sewed the seams back together again. Tyki continued his mad smile, and was just about to get off the wall when he was held by a set of strange-daggers with white tags. He attempted to walk through them, but no avail.

"It's no use," Alphonse frowned as Road found him right behind her.

"Useless Exorcist," Tyki taunted. "If I amplify my Dark Matter, I'll just shatter your petty knives."

"Who do you think I am?" Alphonse stared icily at the Noah, his dark golden eyes blazing with a small hint of fire. For once Tyki remembered the strange stare emanating from this child. The same exact killer intent, the same spiritual energy… That was thirty-five years ago… Cold golden eyes staring straight at him before he met his end…

"It… can't be…" Tyki let his guard down, and Alphonse clapped his hands together, placing them on the stone floor covered with ice, where an array had been drawn. A large gust of wind swept through the room, and everyone was shielded for cover. Road was having trouble keeping balance herself, and a pair of hands caught her shoulders. She looked behind to see Alphonse gazing kindly at her, with no remorse, or any discontent.

The minor tornado ceased, and Road saw no Tyki. The dark side of her mind presumed that he used the Gate to leave and return to the Earl. So much said for the planned gift-wrapping. Road turned to Alphonse, who was still wearing a polite smile.

"So…" he began. "You have made your decision?"

"Yes," Roads nodded meekly, allowing the boy to lead her to the others.

Lavi dropped his jaw as he noticed just how kind Alphonse was to Road. Lenalee was still trying to think where she saw the color white. Ed was still unconscious, with Roy coming to see his apprentice's wounds. Scar was handing his superior a handful of bandages.

"Hmph."

Kanda, indifferent of all the bouncing emotions, spun on his heel and walked away, possibly to report that the problem at the Lab was solved.

" A… Are…. ARE YOU MAD, AL!" Lavi shouted. "What are yo-"

"There is nothing to be concerned about," Alphonse smiled, knowing exactly how he felt. "I'll be sure to keep her in check…"

"Snow… white snow…" Lenalee muttered. Alphonse then darkened and turned to Lenalee with a serious expression. Lenalee gave a small squeak at the dangerous look he shot at her.

"I… Is… something wrong?"

Alphonse lightened again. "I'm… sorry… I'll tell you when we get back…"

Road clung onto Alphonse's arm, feeling she shouldn't let go. Roy finished tending to Ed, and turned to the former Noah.

"Road Kamelot…" He inquired, and she turned to him. "Are you going to keep your name?"

Road contemplated, and finally gave her answer. "The surname Kamelot I cannot keep. Therefore, my new name will be Road Avalon Dante. I'm only stating this to be in compromise with both sides of my heart."

"I see…" Roy smiled. "So it is possible… Ed's theory was right…"

Kanda and Al nodded understandingly, surprising the Bookman apprentice even more.

"What theory?" Lavi sharply turned to him. "Ed and Al didn't tell me about this… and Kanda? You knew this, too?"

"We chose not to at the time," Al explained. "We know about your relation with the Noah of Dreams… so we knew you wouldn't be in with the plan so easily. It was better that you knew later."

"Come on, are you serious?" Lavi demanded. "You're giving me a heart attack over this!"

Roy then stood up abruptly, while Scar scooped Ed into his huge arms.

"Come on," the General ordered. "We'll need to evacuate. Ed's already retrieved the Innocence. That's all we needed to know."

* * *

Envy was completely bored as he continued to amble down a bustling street. He was a Homunculus… in other words… a high-ranking Akuma. He has so far been the most successful… the soul he entrapped has almost been disintegrated, dangerously close to the point of no return. His character has evolved so much to be respected by the Noah family themselves, accepting him as a comrade in arms.

He was in a tricky disguise, dark brown matted hair, and weather beaten skin of a sailor. His fake bulky build was quite impressive amongst the maidens who passed by, giggling as they hid their wide grins with silky fans. His attire was so slim fitting, his supposed biceps were really the attention catcher of the day. Never mind that type of daydreaming…

He scanned the surroundings, taking in every sight and sound, noticing some nice looking woman here and there, and then he saw something quite curious.

A tall man with long red hair, was walking in the same manner as he. His right of the face was hidden by the long looks of the abnormal bright red he had ever seen in his life. Envy suspected something, but nothing was different about the man as the two passed by with no sense of recognition or attempt for a good greeting. Envy ignored the memory and continued walking.

"Wherever that goddamn 14th is…" Envy snarled in irritation. "I'll be sure to crush him to pieces… and that Eastern Sage, too…"

* * *

Two women sat side by side in a parlor. Both of them wore stern expressions, and their arms folded. Lately, a heated discussion about the next move was just about done.

The first, a stocky figure with long billowing cream yellow hair, was impatiently tapping her foot that resting on the carpeted floor. The familiar uniform of the Silver Shield was her main attire. Her rather large lips were compressed into a rather tight line, her flaming blue eyes occasionally flitting to the door ajar, scorning herself for having forgotten to close it. A secret here would easily escape.

The other, of slimmer shape, then resorted to leaning her head on her hand that was supported by her elbow that rested on the armrest of the chair. Her micro beaded ebony braids were tied into a ponytail. Her clothing, a different version of the Shield's uniform, lacking sleeves but the length of the coat stretching to her knees, reminding most people of a form fitting long coat with no sleeves.

They were waiting, currently about to lose their temper, but not fight each other. They were planning to bash someone else for being so late. Footsteps echoed at the open door, and in came a familiar redhead that Envy had overlooked. His charming smile faded to a scared frown as a steel dart was shot just past him, nearly nicking the edge of his ear. Shooting them an indifferent, he inwardly longed to just land a punch somewhere, but the enraged stares from the two women kept him down.

"You're late, Marian," The black haired woman noted by taking a quick glance at a clock.

"I was in a bit of trouble," Marian smiled, and he graciously took a seat across from the two. "Since Allen has been missing, it's hard nowadays to pay debts myself."

"That's because we refused to pay for you, idiot," the blond one snorted.

"Now, now," Marian attempted to coax her. "That's not how you should spe-"

"You are not the commanding officers of this mission," The woman cut him off. "Izumi and I are in no mood to joke with you."

"Armstrong is right," Izumi nodded. "We have to either head back to headquarters or seek help from the Order. This wild goose chase is not really helping."

"I can't object to you women…" Marian leaned back casually. "We'll just have to send a message to Mustang about the situation…"

* * *

They had arrived at the nearest town to see Komui, who took the liberty of coming to see them. Ed was in no condition to move out, and Winry had come along with Reever to tend to his automail. Everyone else had some minor injuries, and Roy's red swollen fingers needed big time healing. Once his team of subordinates came along, an entire inn was filled within one day. Alphonse healed a majority of Ed and Roy's wounds, but they still needed a few days to recover.

Ed, still unconscious, was sleeping peacefully in his bed, with Winry examining his arm. She sighed in disappointment not at him, but herself. She had missed a bolt in Ed's automail, and she screwed up his mission. Screw herself. She patiently got to work and began to clean out his automail.

"Right… before any of you start jumping to conclusions…. I will have to explain first."

Roy and Alphonse were in the process of calming everyone down from trying anything treacherous to the Noah/Exorcist. Road was cowering from the dark aura coming from Komui. Lenalee was staring disbelievingly still at her. After all, the two didn't come to good terms in the past two years. Lavi was probably was the worst of all. He had overturned a table already, and Alphonse added that table to the list of things Ed had to fix when he woke up.

"Brother and I had been studying the connections between the Eastern sage and the Noah family for a while…" Al began. "And we found information from an abandoned diary he left for us one time. Although brother didn't understand what our dad meant at that time, we kept it with us, and Roy had it decrypted for us. Apparently these diary excerpts are memoirs about the 14th's attempt to purge the rest of the Noah family. Hoeinheim and Mana were part of this, too.

"What happened was that the trio successfully got rid of the first twelve Noah quite easily. By what means, we are not sure. However, the Noah of Dreams and the Earl himself were the hardest to deal with and eliminate. When they did get the chance to kill the Noah of Dreams, Hoeinheim was given the responsibility of the execution. He spared her, at the demise of Mana but the request of the 14th. The 14th believed that she would eventually be part of the Earl's downfall if she was not killed, so they left her alone."

"And what does that have to do with Road being here?" Lenalee asked.

"I came to respect the Eastern Sage," Road answered. "He gave me the knowledge of a new technique: to balance the two sides within ourselves. Since I was formerly an Exorcist, I had been accommodated with Innocence. My Noah is counterbalanced by this opposite force, so chances of returning to my true human side is possible, in comparison to the others who were turned into Noah. For them, transformation into a Noah is permanent, meaning that the human side is completely dead. As for my case, my human side was still alive, but in a dormant condition.

"The Eastern Sage had taught me the ability to use this technique, but only by transferring information to my head secretly. Back then, I didn't know how to get access to the information, so I waited. However, only the Eastern Sage or any of the trio can open the information to me, so since Alphonse Elric is a descendant of the Sage, he has the ability to withdraw the information of the technique of sustaining the two sides of Noah. I remember almost getting access to the information when I was stabbed by a Sword of Exorcism, but my Noah repelled it."

Everyone was silent in awe at not only Road's polite language.

"That sounds somewhat strange…" Komui broke the silence. "To revert back to a living life when you're technically dead… I didn't believe Innocence is capable of doing such a thing…"

"Once again," Roy added. "Innocence is a very curious object."

* * *

"So… Howard Link…" Hoeinheim looked at the young blond man on the table opposite him. They had decided to share a room with separate beds in a town in Vicenza, a quite fine town with several sights to see. They were currently in a satisfying hotel. Since Link's connections to the Order gave them a cheap way in… he felt quite grateful.

Link looked up at the older man.

"You said you were part of CROW, am I wrong?"

Link's eyes hardened.

"I was," and he began drumming his fingers on the notebook he had written in. "I only managed to escape the CROW myself."

"How long have you been part of CROW?" Hoeinheim inquired, and the former sighed.

"Ever since I can remember," He answered flatly, and Hoeinheim smirked.

"You look and sound like those military officers I run into once in a while…"

"Heh," Link interjected indifferently. "Someone told me that two years ago."

"Two years ago?" Hoeinheim perked up in his seat. "Someone had the nerve to tell you that?"

"He never followed the rules of Central…" Link's stone rigid body loosened. "Actually… two people have said that I needed to cut slack on myself. Two years ago, I was on a mission with a fellow Inspector. He was a lot younger than me, fourteen or fifteen, I believe… He was a lot more laid back about work than I was, saying that I was too uptight about things. Also, he used to be an Exorcist, he said, and his Innocence was quite funny. All he did was clap his hands and used his hands to fix something, like a time reversal of some sort, but it was permanent…"

"What was his name?" Hoeinheim asked with curiosity of the boy's name.

"Edward Elric…" Link racked his mind of names. "I usually don't remember names very easily… but I think that's what it was… As a matter of fact you look just like him, if you subtract the years a bit more."

"Elric…" Hoeinheim thought as he sipped from his crystal glass of water. "Link… you do know that is the surname of my wife…"

"Is that so?" Link raised an eyebrow. "Are you of any relation to him and his brother Alphonse?"

"Um… yes…" Hoeinheim answered. "I'm their father…"

"Funny…" Link looked out at the empty streets past the window of the room. "I never heard him mention you…"

"I don't blame Edward…" Hoeinheim solemnly reasoned. "We haven't met for years, so he probably either hates me or doesn't remember me… By the way, who was the other person who said you were too stiff?"

"A young boy I had been ordered to keep watch on," Link answered. "He was an Exorcist at a ridiculous age of fifteen as well. He was a lot like Edward… laid back… but more friendlier than Edward… We got ourselves in little squabbles during my stay at Black Order Headquarters. He was my roommate during my stay at Order Headquarters… We then came to regard each other as brothers at some point… Eventually he was placed under a heretic trial…"

"Trial?" Hoeinheim squirmed. "What for?"

"He was suspected of being a Noah of some sort…" Link answered. "The 14th, I suppose…"

The glass shattered to the floor from Hoeinheim's hands, nearly making Link jump off his chair. Hoeinheim then looked at the braided man in deep worry.

"14th, you say?"

"Yes…" Link looked down at the floor at the shattered pieces of glass, thinking about how much trouble the maid would have cleaning it up, but the sight of the ruined flask of water reminded him of the state of his surrogate little brother…

"Oh… ah… um, I… I'll fix it," Hoeinheim stammered as he got up from his chair and knelt down beside the remains, and he clapped his hands together, and a hum of many choruses sounded throughout the room as he placed his hands on the shards of quartz. Slowly, the glass shards lifted themselves in the air, and like a puzzle, pieced themselves together to the shape it had been. Not long after, the bits and pieces sealed themselves with a crackling of blue sparks, and a small cloud circle of dust lifted in the air about the intact glass cup.

Link stared unblinkingly at the amazing feat. He couldn't believe that the older man could do such a thing… so he really was the father of Edward Elric.

"You… can do the same… as Edward?" He asked, and Hoeinheim picked up the cup and set it on the table, nodding in response to his question.

"Like father, like son," Hoeinheim smiled.

"Are you going to see him when we get to headquarters?" Link shot off. Hoeinheim frowned.

"I'm indecisive…"

* * *

"This is your room for the night."

Al presented to her a fair-sized room. Road gazed in awe at the room's appearance. For any normal person, a room like this was quite normal… Beige bedding, walls, a vase of roses or some flower in the corner, lighted by a yellow lamplight. This was obviously not like her crazy distorted taste in her Noah residence.

"Thanks… Alphonse…" Road nodded. Al raised an eyebrow. He had never been with her, but obviously, she had a great change in character.

"It's nothing…" He smiled. "I…I'll just leave you here…"

The door closed, and Road was left staring at the room once more, inspired by the contrast to her own old personality. Edging to the bed, she sat by herself in her designated room, and she nervously held onto the long ribbon she wielded the hours before. She wound and unwound it about her arm. The door opened, and in came Lenalee, who caught her attention. The girl straightened nervously, and Lenalee raised an eyebrow.

"Hello, Lenalee," Road stammered, and Lenalee nodded in response. Road could see that the female Exorcist didn't trust her just yet.

"Well, Road," Lenalee spoke in an ambiguous tone in which Road could not comprehend her true feelings. "We're going to stay here for the night, since Ed is still recuperating. I realized that you didn't have any clothes to sleep in, so I stopped by to give you this. They're all clean, so there's no need to worry."

The emerald haired Exorcist held out a bundle of clothing which Road took shyly. Road's dark purple eyes turned to the purple eyes of Lenalee.

"Um… thank you, Lenalee…" Road timidly mumbled, and Lenalee smiled.

"It's all right…" She encouragingly smiled. "I'm sure you'll feel better when we get to know each other more, okay?"

"Um… yeah…"

The emerald haired girl left shortly, and Road was left alone for another hour. She huddled against the headboard of her bed, and pulled her knees up to her chin. A strange premonition was bothering her state of peace, and, looking at the scenery outside, she decided to shut the lights out for the night.

"Someone is angry," Road muttered. "Really angry…"

* * *

The Earl was enraged at the news. His maniacal smile was nastier and nastier as the rest of the Noah shivered at the sight of their oldest brother.

"She… has… left…" He uttered the words individually and slowly, fury building up on each syllable. Lero was cowardly hiding behind Jasdevi, lazily twirling his long blonde and black hair in his skinny fingers, which were trembling as he tried to keep his composure under the dark atmosphere. Lulubell kept in herself the big gale of fear as she quivered in her chair. Wisely and Sheryl were sitting in their respective seats, saying nothing. The other Noah were just as calm, but still scared out their minds. They had lost a considerably useful member of the Noah.

Tyki stood before his family. The Earl stood up, transforming into his human form, monocle and all, and slammed his hands on the table.

"Tell me… Tyki…" He said dangerously. "Who was it you saw?"

"The Elric brothers… and Roy Mustang…" Tyki answered. "The survivor of the Second Exorcist Project was there, too, along with Bookman Junior, but they are insignificant to the scenario at the moment."

"Roy Mustang…" Lulubell spoke. "He was the one who made me reincarnate the second time after the purge of the 14th. He is still alive, I see…"

"The Elric brothers…" The Earl growled. "Our plans are getting more complicated by the minute. They and Mustang seem to know more than I thought. With an addition to Cross possibly surviving a murder attempt, and the Eastern Sage coming back…"

A patter of lazy footsteps alerted them as they saw a figure smaller then Tyki. The Earl smiled at the newcomer.

"Envy… I'm glad that you're here…"

"Nice to see you, too, Earl…" The skimpily clothed boy grinned widely. Everyone gave a nod of acknowledgement to the creature they dubbed Homunculus.

"I'm here to report to you…" Envy gave a satisfying emphasis. "That their key to finding Allen Walker is not too far away. They have more than one opportunity. Our chance of finishing the war quickly is coming soon."

"Yes…" the Earl switched gears. "I agree… I concur!"

* * *

"… I see…"

Roy was currently on the phone, while Hawkeye was standing not so far behind, keeping a sharp lookout over the vicinity. Night had fallen upon the city, and all of the younger Exorcists were asleep. Most of Roy's staff had gone to sleep, too, but Komui, Hawkeye, and Roy himself were still up. The Supervisor had gone to get a coffee.

"If that's the case, London it is," Roy nodded, and he hung up, and Hawkeye turned to him with a look he knew was asking what the call was.

"Sig called," He explained. "He says that currently, there's been some clues uncovered by Curtis's team back at London. He says that we should stop the wild goose chase, and we'll have to meet together."

"Roy," Hawkeye asked. "Does this mean we'll have to recruit everyone there?"

"I'm not sure how Komui will take this," Roy looked off to the corner where Komui had long since departed. "but I'll have to bring a fair amount of Exorcists into the Headquarters for the time being."

"That's a massive request," Hawkeye sighed. "With both Exorcists and our Shield members running around, how do you expect everyone to come in a few days?"

"Simple, actually," Roy smiled. "Izumi and Armstrong have already summoned a good portion of our Alchemists and Finders. They've recently arrived. All we have to do is bring some of the Order as well. That's why we have Road."

A sharp intake of breath coming from Hawkeye, she gazed warily at her commanding officer.

"You don't mean…"

"Yes," Roy looked at the staircase leading to the bedrooms. "For once, we'll have to place our trust in Road. Although it's too soon, we just have to make do."

**A/N: Suddenly, I'm going type-crazy because I had a big load of emails in my inbox about story alerts and favorite stories. Originally this chapter was supposed to include a nice fluffy moment for al and road, but I thought that the "trust" factor was going to quickly, so I moved that to another chapter later on. the funny thing that you might notice, hoho and link are going in the wrong direction, since ed and everyone is going to the shield headquarters all the way in london, not the order headquarters. Wow... and in quite a few chapters, lenalee will learn to regain her memories, so then we'll find allen very very soon. any ideas to the story are welcome. and yay! cross is back! olivia armstrong and izumi also appear. and yes, it sounds weird, since Noah become Noah when their supposed container dies and all, but then again, i'm putting a whole bunch of weird exceptions. and i know what you all think. if Road was an Exorcist and became a Noah, will Allen be able to do that, too? That will be for later.**

**I've been keeping the Shou Tucker part somewhere in my computer. At first, it was Lenalee-centric, but then I wanted it to be Allen and Ed-centric.**

**as for the online manga i'm posting of this story, i'm still on the first chapter, but if you want to see it, the pages are on my deviantart account, so comments can be placed there.**

**Preview: Chapter 18: Revisited: Ed and Al receive news that they are returning to their Shield headquarters, but Winry requests a small visit to their hometown, Reesembool. Conveniently, Roy receives word that a strange uprising of Akuma are taking place in Reesembool as well. Ed, Al, and Winry panic at the thought of Grandma Pinako in danger.  
**


	18. Revisited

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 18 – Revisited**

* * *

We find Hoeinheim and Link sitting in a compartment in silence as the train occasionally lurched forward or sideways. The former CROW was absorbed in a book, while the Eastern Sage was fumbling his fingers as he felt a wary presence in the distance.

"We're only a few miles away," Link reported. "From there, we can take some creaky dory to get onto the island. But that would be difficult since-"

"Oh…" Hoeinheim smiled. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure there's an easier way around it."

"But, Sir-"

"Leave the situation to me…" Hoeinheim smiled. "Besides, I really need someone to give me a good kick in the face for what I've done in my life…"

The Eastern Sage was welling with uneasiness as a strange and threatening presence was sweeping over the currents of the underground. What was the cause? Maybe some Noah or high level Akuma, but the highest he had ever seen was a Level Four, and those types are not significant when he rated Akuma. A Noah was possible, but no way did this nostalgic sensation felt like a Noah. Maybe… and Akuma even higher…

"Sir…" Link frowned at the older man. "You're turning blue… are you motion sick?"

"No, not at all…" Hoeinheim shook the feeling away as he looked out the distance of a moving crowd of cattle. "Link, how do we get into the building?"

The former CROW member thought for a moment, and then clicked his tongue in remembrance. "If I recall correctly, the entrance for Exorcists only is through here… This should be where their ferry goes in and out."

"Why can't we use the visitor's entrance?" He complained to the younger man.

"I can't use it…" Link sighed. "Didn't I tell you I was on the run? If I go this way, I'll get less attention. Leverrier would have my head before I even step into safe hands."

"Why didn't you bring Allen Walker with you?" Hoeinheim pressed on, changing the subject.

"I couldn't," he answered back. "The security was far too heavy… Walker did tell me to send a message to the Order, though…"

The Eastern Sage watched the head of the guilt-ridden man drop in shame.

"It's not your fault, Link," Hoeinheim gazed sympathetically at the man. "You did your best. I'm sure that once you tell the Supervisor, he'll send everyone after Leverrier, and _you'll_ be the one with his head."

"I guess…" Link was still keeping his head drooping, still not forgiving himself.

"Hey… cheer up," Hoeinheim patted him on the back. "I may not be a good father or friend, but at least look a bit brighter…"

* * *

"We're going back to Headquarters?" Ed jumped. "I didn't expect it to be so early!"

"Me, too," Al was busily eating his breakfast. Kanda, of course, was eating soba, listening to Roy's announcement. Lavi, Lenalee, and the rest of Roy's staff were enjoying some type of stew of some sort. Road had joined the table, but right next to Al. Winry and Reever were currently poring over a blueprint.

"Well," Roy repeated. "We're going back, and we'll meet up with everyone else there."

"But… how will we get there quickly, Chief?" Havoc asked.

"The Ark."

"The Ark?" Lavi jumped. "But who's going to open it?"

"Road will." Hawkeye answered, and all eyes fell upon the purple haired girl sitting beside the Soul-Weaving Exorcist.

"Road?" Lenalee looked quizzically at the former Noah, and then to Komui, wondering if her brother would know of anything.

"Well… she did use the Ark several times before, right?" Komui reasoned.

"I guess I have…" Road spoke up. Roy then nodded.

"However…" Winry spoke up. "I might have to pick something up from Reesembool. Granny Pinako made something that I can use for Ed's automail…"

"Okay," Ed nodded. "Then can we stop by Reesembool before taking off to Headquarters? Hey, Al, it's a mile from here, right?"

"Reesembool is in the countryside… after all…" Al thought and agreed with his brother and childhood friend. "Yeah… let's just stop by Reesembool by train, and then take off from there. It's only one night or so…"

Roy placed down his reports and passed them to Riza to peruse.

"Since we're in a hurry," He said briskly. "We'll stay one night. Nothing more. If it's about retrieving Innocence, too, then I'll have Komui take care of that. He'll send in other Exorcists to deal with it… right, Komui?"

"Yes, of course," Komui sat up from his slouching position. Roy then turned to Road and Al.

"I trust that you'll be dealing with the Ark as of right now…" He reminded. Al wolfed down his breakfast, and left the room, with Road following. Roy then alerted the entire dining room to get ready for departure.

* * *

Al and Road found themselves in the backyard of the inn, keeping the silence all to themselves.

"Do you remember how to open the Ark?" Al asked. Road nodded meekly.

"I'm not saying we're going to use it now…" Al sweatdropped. "I mean, it's just, I was just asking."

"That's fine…" Road sighed. "I'm glad you asked."

"Actually…" Al pondered. "I was going to ask about last night. Did you sleep well?"

A bewildered expression appeared upon the girl's face, but she smiled again.

"Yes, I did sleep well," She looked away at the flowerbeds again. Al nodded in silence. They appreciated another quiet moment and found themselves staring at a lone butterfly hovering over a bright yellow daffodil that had been growing in clusters around the house. It was until then when a call from Lenalee startled the two and prompted them into reentering the house once more.

* * *

Ed slipped on his red longcoat over his black attire. "Hm… maybe I should ask Johnny for an actual Exorcist uniform. I messed my red jacket up last time back at Lab 5. I don't have any extra thread on me…"

Al buttoned his own Exorcist uniform and clasped the suitcase that held the brothers' necessities. "All done, brother!"

"All right, then," Ed smiled. "Let's go."

* * *

Lenalee packed her extra Exorcist uniform into her black suitcase as Timcampy began to flutter around her head. She then buttoned up the navy blue dress she wore over her uniform and retied her long emerald pigtails again.

"Timcampy…." She sighed, catching it from flying into her face. "Your previous owner must have been really patient with you, if you keep getting lost…"

She then stuffed him into the suitcase and headed for the door out of her room.

* * *

Kanda slung his trusty Mugen over his shoulder, looking back at the hourglass with the lotus flower in it. Apparently, Komui had brought it with him, as if he knew Roy would decide to transfer the Exorcists to the Silver Shield. He hadn't lost any of his lives for the moment ever since the fight with Skinn Boric… Not like he needed to, anyway. He still was on the verge to because…

"Stupid beansprout," he said to himself, turning the doorknob. "Never around when I need him to back me up."

* * *

"Who is it?" The telephone rang with the low voice of an elderly lady.

"Pinako, is that you?" Ed asked. The voice chuckled.

"Of course it is, you little shrimp."

"Hey, don't call me shrimp," Ed snapped caustically at the receiver of the phone. "I've grown a lot this year."

"Really? That must be exciting," Pinako sounded very happy at the news, and shortly after, she cleared her throat. Ed heard background voices, and Pinako answering back for a moment.

"Ah, right…" Pinako then said again. "Just recently, since you haven't been visiting home like you promised… I want to know when Winry's coming to see me."

Ed smiled. "Don't worry, Granny. Master is heading back to Shield headquarters this week. We'll be sure to stop at Reesembool for a day or two."

"Oh, how soon? When are you coming?"

Pinako was always a woman who wanted exact timing. For someone who was able to fix every piece of machinery she got her hands on, desire for precision was expected.

"This evening. The train comes really fast nowadays."

Another murmur of voices caught his ear as he was pressed to the receiver.

"Um… Granny? You there?"

"Of course I am!" A sharp voice made him jump for a moment. "Ah… I see. I'll see you tomorrow."

He heard the loud tone of a ended call, and set it down, facing his younger brother and childhood friend.

"I've told her we're arriving tomorrow. She's quite thrilled that we're coming."

"Of course she is," Winry smiled. For once, Edward was suddenly overjoyed and positive. When Trisha Elric had died, Ed and Al had gotten along very well with Winry's grandmother Pinako. Although they stayed in their own house, they often stopped by Winry's home for meals and play dates of the sort.

"Ed, Winry, Alphonse!" Lenalee's voice called for them. "The train's leaving really soon!"

"Oh, right," Al sweatdropped. "We're coming!"

* * *

The traveling party divided themselves into two compartments. Of course, Ed, Al, and Lavi wanted to be in the same one. Roy, believing that his students could take care of themselves, left them and joined the other compartment, where Komui and the staff stayed. Kanda, who felt more comfortable with Lavi and Lenalee around, stayed with our little trio. Winry and Road joined the Exorcists.

"Well, it's seems like full house, here, isn't it?" Lavi laid back on his seat luxuriously. Al made himself comfortable on the side of the seat beside the door, with Road sitting beside him and next to his brother. Ed was on the other side, looking at the window right next to. Kanda and Lenalee were on the opposite seat, along with Winry.

"Always humorous…" Lenalee smiled brightly. Kanda merely snorted and looked at the window as the train rushed past a calm vineyard.

"Well, Germany… Any of you went there?" Lavi asked. Lenalee sighed.

"Haven't I told you?" She began. "I went there when I met Miranda."

Lavi's heart cringed when he noticed that Lenalee had left Allen out. Of course, he and Lenalee were sent to investigate the Rewinding Town were the same day kept repeating for over a month. Allen had experienced horrible pain, because Road, the Noah of Dreams had pried out his Akuma-sensing eye… The funny thing is the fact that she was sitting right next to him.

"Al and I used to live in Reesembool," Ed added. "Winry lived there, too, before the three of us joined the Order."

"Reesembool?" Lavi perked up. "Isn't that where our mission is?"

"Yeah…" Al nodded. "Ed and I are worried about the people there… cause… Winry's grandmother Pinako. My godparents Izumi and Sig visit at this time of the year, but since they're really busy, I don't think they'll come. They actually live in London."

"Are they old friends of your parents?" Lenalee asked.

"My mom, to be exact," Ed answered. "As for my dad, Izumi probably was best friends with him, but I never saw any interaction between the two."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Our dad left when Ed was three, and I was two," Al explained. "Never seen him ever since."

"Did they divorce?"

"No," Ed growled. "He just left, no reason, apparently."

"What was his name?"

"Hoeinheim." Ed gave a flat answer.

"Well, anyways," Lenalee continued. "What about your mother? If she stayed with you, what happened to her?"

"She cared for us until we were nine," Ed answered, some softness and yet melancholy in his words. "That was when a plague swept through the country, and she passed away before we knew it. She didn't bother to tell us… And then… The Central came… and then…"

Lenalee shook her head. "It's fine. If you're not comfortable with telling me about this, then I don't think it's necessary to tell me now."

"Th… Thanks, Lenalee…" Ed nodded. They discussed other topics, until Ed decided to doze off for a majority of the journey.

* * *

"Ed… we're almost there… wake up…" Winry shook her childhood friend as he groaned and mumbled about getting five more minutes.

"What a heavy sleepyhead shorty you got there!" Lavi teased, and Ed erupted from his sleep.

"DON'T CALL ME AN UNDERSIZED PEA THAT COULD BE SQUASHED BY A FLEA!"

"Brother…" Al sweatdropped. "I don't think he said that…"

"You're being noisy," Kanda grumbled and continued his stare out the window, but found nothing interesting as they were going into a tunnel. It was rather dark, and it was rather hard for anyone to see the other.

"How much longer?" Ed asked Lenalee.

"A minute," Winry answered. "You fell asleep for an hour. We've been through this tunnel for a while."

In a few seconds, they found themselves exiting the tunnel, and Lenalee and Winry nearly lost their posture when they saw the light hit Ed's face. They held back their laughs, but eventually, they couldn't control it. Al looked questioningly at the two girls and then looked at his brother, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Road followed, and Lavi then gave a look of triumph. Kanda had a glance as well, since he couldn't help his curiosity.

"A job well done," Kanda remarked, smirking at Ed's face.

"What?" Ed looked at everyone. "Is there something on my face?"

"Oh," Al laughed really hard his cheeks were getting sore. "Definitely!"

Lenalee, still laughing, pulled out a pocket mirror and it out for Ed to see. When Ed saw the mirror image of his face, he paled slightly.

Someone had really done it this time. Right under his nose were ink brushstrokes of a moustache (a rather fancy curly one, to make it funnier), and a drawing of fake eyes on his eyelids, not to mention a pleasant little black goatee and beard.

Ed began to twitch, and Al was still laughing even when Ed glared at his brother.

"It wasn't me, brother! I swear!"

"Well, then who was it?" Ed kept his voice to dangerously calm.

"Not me." Kanda said plainly, and observed a shepherd and his herd of sheep zooming by.

"Of course, not me…" Road smiled. "But that was funny…"

"Me neither," Lenalee finally stopped laughing. Winry shook her head.s Ed then concluded. Lavi.

"Lavi…" Ed kept his voice low. Lavi then smiled.

"Hey, can't help it," He joked. "It suits you really well."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY! JUST GET IT OFF!"

"Sorry… It's permanent… Takes a week to get off-"

"WHAT!"

"Kidding!"

* * *

"So," Kanda watched as Ed came back from the water fountain. "You washed your face yet?"

"Does it look like it to you?" Ed cockily crossed his arms. Roy, who heard, and saw, the story of the ink incident, smirked.

"You know…" He began to tease. "I think I still see the goatee-"

"Oh, shut it, Master," Ed shot back angrily, and Lavi, Chaoji, Al, Miranda, and Lenalee shrugged.

"Well, we'll need to take a wagon," Roy stated.

Lavi looked up to the sky again. He could see a single goose fly across the blue abyss that sat upon a grassy plain of golden yellow and green. A deep memory of a young redheaded boy following his grandfather in a grassy yellow plain sprang to his conscience, and he smiled at the thought.

"Gee…" Lavi sighed. "Wish Allen was here… He'd love to see this…"

* * *

They crossed the rickety gate of wood, closing it promptly once everyone had passed through. They stepped into the portico, which was laid out on many long slabs of oak, and protected by the shading roof above their heads. Edward took the first move to knock on the door, and everyone paused as they watched the door creak open.

A rather large dog had pounced out of the doorway and landed on Ed's face, licking the poor boy's face.

"Hey… Den!… Stop it!…" Ed laughed, and from the corner of his eye, he saw a small elderly woman, brandishing a redwood pipe in her hands, and round glasses propped up nicely upon the bridge of her nose. Her coarse gray brown hair was pinned up in a strange narrow and round ponytail.

"Granny Pinako!" Alphonse cried, and he and Winry rushed forward to hug the well-known relative.

"Easy there," Pinako soothed the overenthusiastic grandchildren. "I need to breathe, you know."

She watched Ed brush the dust off his pants and look down at her.

"I guess you're right…" She smiled. "You did grow taller."

"That's surprising," Roy smiled. "There's really been not much change in his stature."

"What do you-!" Ed shouted, but was bonked on the head by Pinako's pipe.

"Hurry in, everyone," She gestured to the open welcoming door. "It's getting breezy outside.

* * *

"I see… You're searching for that friend of yours, right?" Pinako made another ring of smoke from her wooden pipe, and Ed nodded in response to her question. Everyone had settled in the living room, several on the couch, and the rest on the home-knit rug. Pinako chose a dinner table chair she pulled from the kitchen.

"I don't know anything about this boy," Pinako sighed. "But if you need any help, you can always call. You're only stopping for the day, am I correct?"

"Winry needed to pick something up," Alphonse explained. "And since it's almost evening, we'll just have to stay here."

"We'll be staying at the inn at the downtown Reesembool," Roy added. "You can reach us there if you need to call us tonight."

"Can do." Pinako nodded respectfully. "And, Winry… your stuff in your bedroom."

Winry happily complied and bounded up the stairs, and everyone could hear a squeal of delight upstairs, and great pattering of feet. Ed and Al face palmed.

"This never gets old…"

* * *

Once again, another inn was jammed, and everyone was busily doing their needed activities. Lavi had received a big pile of "homework" from his Grandpa Bookman, and was currently absorbing himself in the words of the documents, etching every detail in his memory when…

BOOM!

"Akuma!" Alphonse announced. A startled Edward toppled backwards in his seat from the incoming quake, and the party rushed outside.

Exactly as Al had said, A herd of Akuma were hovering dangerously over their heads above the town, and great series of shouting were heard. Without hesitation, Roy pointed at his crew.

"You guys!" He ordered. "Go with Lenalee, and make sure the people are safe! Lenalee, feel free to destroy any Akuma in your way! Lavi, Ed and Kanda! Take Lavi's Hammer and deal with the little tea party above! Alphonse and Road! Come with me! I'll need some backup!"

"Yes, sir!" the delegated people rushed away to their positions. Road, not familiar with orders, was roughly pulled on the sleeve by Alphonse, and they sprinted away after the Flames of Wrath.

The three skidded to a stop as Roy snapped an Akuma to heated ashes, only to be confronted by more Akuma in the main square. A Level Three grinned maliciously, most notably at Road.

"Oh? So the Traitorous Noah is here with you Exorcist brats?" It taunted them. "I wonder if you should be fine with that…"

A quartet of daggers were stuck on its face in mere seconds, and with a clap from the Soul-Weaving Alchemist, the demonic creature was ripped to shreds, and faded away like disintegrating purple dust.

"Road Kamelot is no longer a Noah," Alphonse announced. "And she was once an Exorcist, so she will always be an Exorcist…"

"Well said!" Roy shouted above the roar of a fading Akuma he had destroyed.

"Al…" Road gasped, and another Lever Three charged in. Roy was heading off to another direction. Alphonse brandished a new set of knives.

"Road! Use your Innocence!" Al told her. "It'll end the battle quickly!"

Alphonse's orders were answered by a hesitant silence, but Road eventually nodded.

"Blessed Snow!"

The beautiful snow-white ribbon flashed through the evening air, ripping through a horde of Akuma with each graceful stroke. Several screams and small sighs ensued, ending in a grand finale of a marvelous display of smoky fireworks. Road, satisfied with her act, looked at a thankful Alphonse, who nodded. Her lips curved to a smile, and she laughed, for the first time, as an Exorcist once more.

* * *

The expedition to liberate Reesembool ended with high success, earning our travelers a good celebration at the inn. Alphonse was standing beside Road, intending to talk to her, when a firm hand held onto his shoulder.

"We need to talk."

Alphonse turned cautiously to see a stern-faced Kanda. Alphonse nodded, in all unnecessary seriousness, and followed the Japanese samurai into a quieter corner of the room.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"You should be careful." Kanda said flatly, receiving a puzzled look from Alphonse.

"Huh…?" Alphonse deadpanned, not understanding what Kanda meant.

"I meant Road," He angrily retorted. "You shouldn't be too loose around Road."

"It's fine, Kanda…" Alphonse smiled. "We trust each other. We'll be fine!"

"Trust, huh?" Kanda challenged Alphonse's words. "You should still be wary around that girl. Even though she's not the Road we know anymore, you shouldn't stray too far from the safety line."

This made the younger Exorcist laugh. "Wow, since when did you say things like that?"

Kanda went wide-eyed. "Nothing."

Al began to frown. "Look… If you're really concerned about Allen, then you don't have to be so secretive about it. I know we both want to find him as soon as possible-"

"I don't need any heart to heart talk from anyone," Kanda sharply interrupted. "But thanks, anyway."

Kanda passed by a puzzled Ed, who was approaching his brother with a fresh glass of water.

"What did the idiot say to you?" Ed asked. Al then shook his head.

"Oh, nothing, really," He smiled. "Just a small heart to heart talk about trusting people."

**A/N: Once again, another sadly fast-paced chapter. I was quite busy this week, even during summer vacation! The next chapter is going be some fluff between Al and Road, and another shocking news about Allen comes up. Also I've been watching a new anime named Canaan (where a lot of the girls can fight and take down almost anyone! Canaan and Alphard are awesome! Liang Gi is crazy!). Pandora Hearts also caught my eye recently, too.  
**

**Next Chapter: Chapter 19: Risky Prospects: Our traveling party arrives at the Shield headquarters and are given a small tour, and Roy immediately receives a phone call from someone he least expects. Hoeinheim and Link are currently thinking of a way to get to the Shield as quickly as possible. And Al confronts a distressed Road who can't sleep.  
**


	19. Risky Prospects

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 19 – Risky Prospects**

* * *

A heavy panting was heard through the halls as several burgundy robed and white-masked men were scouting a vacant building. Seeing their effort as a fruitless attempt, they retreated to their leader, a tight-lipped man with a brown mustache that resembled a toothbrush.

"Have you found him yet?" He asked anxiously. The CROW exchanged looks and shook their heads. Sighing, the man gestured a secretary to hand him a portable telephone.

"We'll just have to ask Mustang to help… He's probably already in on the case."

A silent pause, then a click of a lifting phone.

"This is Olivia Armstrong." A woman's voice resounded through the receiver.

"Armstrong?" The man asked. "Do you know where Roy Mustang is?"

"He's on leave." The answer was sharp and brisk. "But I assure you he'll be back today by afternoon."

"Ah, thank you," the man nodded. "Can you relay a message for him? Tell him that he'll have a visitor in his office."

"Who are you?" the woman snarled. The man sighed. Olivia Armstrong never changed, didn't she?

"Malcolm Leverrier…" The man answered. "But please tell him. This is very urgent."

"Very well, then," Olivia didn't soften at all. "But it's strange of you, to ask assistance from Mustang, but I'll tell him."

* * *

Roy sneezed loudly as they boarded off the train, earning a good amount of worried gazes.

"I'm fine," Roy sighed. "I don't have a cold…"

They shrugged and continued to file out of the train. Edward took his first breath of London air for the first time in ten months. Busy and bustling as usual, he thought. They clambered in a bivouac down the street, receiving welcome greetings from the locals passing by. After a small walk, they boarded a line of carriages to a more peaceful countryside. Once the party arrived at a large mansion, the large black iron gates opened familiarly to them. All Lavi could do was drop his jaw at the sight of the mansion.

A red bricked pathway from the gates winded about in a vast low forest of brush, the lawn bordered by hedges, and pansies. Tiger Lilies aligned themselves along the edge of the brick road, followed by a layer of blue bachelor's button, and bearded irises. Foxgloves filled the flowerbeds in front of the house, aging green ivy covering the existence of a flowerbed at all

A style more of a Victorian than Gothic, so obviously, the place looked livelier than the Order's home, on the outside, at least. A wide portico stretched to both ends of the mansion, supported by black marble pillars, carved with a winged design on its bases. The exterior shell, gray stone slabs to resemble a mighty fortress, contrasting itself from the ivory black shingles that shielded the stronghold from harsh weather. A turret protruded that supposedly protruded from a courtyard inside the mansion was seen towering over the rest of the building, laced with pristine white curtained windows. The doors, two grand wooden slabs of welcome, I suppose, were at the travelers' vicinity, large brass doorknobs to be opened at ease.

"Whoa…" Lenalee gasped. "What is this place?"

Roy smiled. The first time he had bought this mansion, he, too had been shock at its grandeur. Ed and Alphonse still remembered the surprised look on their teachers' faces, when the work was finished.

"May you do the honors, Armstrong?" Roy motioned to the buff subordinate, who bowed graciously and formed a crowd about him.

"Welcome to Silver Shield Headquarters," Armstrong declared with a proud air, grasping one door handle, Brosh taking the other. "Feel free to make yourselves at home."

A creak of a working hinge snapped them back to reality, and walking inside, another sight of awe was to be gained. A classical dream outside, a futuristic interior catches their eyes. The foyer, draped with the a silver and navy blue patterned banner embroidered with the crest of a roaring lion on its back legs, stood before them against a metal walled room, with bright white lamps to compensate the shaded windows. Two sets of curved stairways, carved marble white, sat below the proud banner, lined with white lamps along the way. The floor they stood on, black marble, with small veins of tan and white within its surface.

Reactions of many types flew about the room for the newcomers, along with many questions. Five minutes passed before the crowd was held at complete silence. Apparently one strange look from Hawkeye was the trick. Roy gave orders to several subordinates, while the newcomers remained silent, wondering if the other rooms were just as pretty as the first.

"As for Fullmetal and Alphonse here…" Roy looked at the two. "You two take your friends here on a tour… I've got to talk to Armstrong and Izumi at my office."

"Which Armstrong?" Al asked. Roy sighed.

"Olivia."

That earned a gulp from both brothers, and Roy nodded in agreement, paling at the same time. Riza sighed, pushing Roy away from the crowd.

"Well, let's get this over with…"

Roy continued his incoherent babbling as Al and Ed were depressing themselves. Lavi, Lenalee, Kanda, Road, Reever, and Komui were left behind.

"I'm scared to go to the office now…" Al shuddered.

"Same here," Ed followed. "I think I'll make an excuse for a break…"

"Um… guys?" Lavi called for their attention. "the tour?"

* * *

"First stop, the receptionist," Al happily narrated as they passed by a desk belonging to a young lady with short brown mousy hair, her round glasses propped upon the bridge of her nose. Like what they had seen before, this woman also wore a Silver Shield uniform. Upon noticing Ed and Al, papers were flung everywhere as she stood up hurriedly.

"Ah! Um!" She stuttered before bowing quickly. "Welcome back, Edward and Alphonse!"

"Thank you, Shieska…" Al smiled at the girl, who flushed red as he and the rest of the group passed by. Their home seemed very much the same, as it seems.

"During your stay here at Headquarters," Al continued through a hallway leading downwards, still black marble floored and metal walled, with white lamps throughout. "Shieska will probably be the best person to go to if you need to find your way around the place. She may not look like it, but she's also the librarian for our library here. Apparently, she's read every single book there, and has memorized each one."

"Whoa!" Lavi jumped. "Like… photographic memory?"

"Only in wording, not images," Edward corrected him.

* * *

"Here is the Lounge," Al labeled the room.

A nice crackling fireplace was going, surrounded a comforting set of sofas comprised of a dark blue cloth that was soft for the skin. The walls here were dark blue with a vintage flower pattern of white washed across it. Upon a small table near the door to the next room was a fair-sized Tiffany lamp, painted navy blue and cyan, with a small tinge of green. Not to mention, the rug, a dark blue as well.

"Now, on to the offices," Al continued. "On the floor below us, so we'll be taking an elevator down. They approached a pair of silver metal doors, which slid sideways, showing a compartment, carpeted neatly, and featured with steel handrails. Komui and Lavi were so absorbed in the advanced technology, Lenalee had to pull them in before the doors closed. They were also mesmerized by how smooth the elevator went, just like the one they had in the first Order headquarters… except that one actually levitated.

The second floor was significantly more plain the first, with only whitewashed walls, with few adornments. The carpet was blue, of course, and an occasional oil painting was hung upon the white plastered walls. Doors were lined up against either side of the wall. Some were opened, and Lavi could see several uniform-clad men and women busily humming away their work, a paper passed to each other on occasion. They walked through another grand set of wooden doors, and suddenly the environment switched back to the way it had been at the first hallway.

Mysterious dim lighting in metal walled corridors, but a red carpeted floor, with vintage patterns scattered across. A pink rose on some occasion, or a big orange carp on another corner, they finally approached a large room the size of a large stadium, the Exorcists and scientists were amazed at how Roy could keep such a large room right under his house.

The floor was all metal this time, as were the walls and ceiling. A metal door that probably led to a control room of some sort was placed in the far corner of the room.

"Wha-What is this place?" Komui sputtered.

"A training area," Kanda mused, surprising Lavi. "As you can see, it's large and spacious, and the place has proper lighting."

"That's right, Kanda," Alphonse continued. "Last, but not least, this training facility is for Exorcists and Finders to use. As in Finders, I mean, target practice, and advanced combat and such. The control behind the far door back there allows control of the conditions in the room. Different weather conditions, such as rain, hurricane, and earthquakes. For water, the floor is water-absorbent, so if we use the rain mode, then we just have that water for the plants in the garden up front."

"That's genius!" Komui beamed. "I've never heard of such technology! Tell me, who designed this facility?"

"I did," Ed's voice rang through the almost empty training room, and all eyes turned on the Fullmetal Alchemist. All everyone could do was drop their jaws.

"Seriously?" Lavi's eyes seemed to be bulging out from shock. "You designed this place?"

"Yeah," Ed answered nonchalantly. "Al helped with the logic, and all, but I did most of the work."

"Amazing!" Lenalee smiled.

"Heh, I am nicknamed a child prodigy after all," Ed shrugged. Al then motioned everyone through the door.

"All right, everyone," He announced. "Let's go upstairs and to the bedrooms.

"How many bedrooms do you have?" Lavi asked. Al thought for a moment.

"Exorcists live here on the two floors above ground. The Finders, the ones that are not part of Mustang's main staff, live in a large apartment complex near town reserved only for them. The trip to the main work building itself is quite short, after all, and it's best for us to blend in."

* * *

Dark blue curtains draped the blank metal walls, a Silver Shield banner placed between two of them. The room was a wide room, a series of desks joined together into a wide rectangle, and a main big desk at the far back, a few yards from the large rectangle of desks.

A low murmur outside the doors resounded.

"This can't be good…" Roy's voice was heard.

The door was opened slowly, and Roy's eyes narrowed.

Three people sat patiently before his desk in the black leather sofa featured with a glass table. All three he recognized. His subordinates hurriedly rushed to their desks to resume work once again. He himself calmly strolled to his seat, falling back on the comfy roller chair Ed had found during their travels. That was one of the things Roy appreciated from his apprentice.

"Hello, Roy Mustang…" A familiar voice echoed into his ear, and Roy smirked in satisfaction at the man before him. Izumi and Olivia nodded, receiving a welcome nod back, alerting the two women that he was aware of their presence. His eyes flitted back to the man.

"Ah," He sat up in his chair. "It's nice to see you, Malcolm Leverrier. You care to tell about that Destroyer of Time you locked away without my knowing?"

"Hahaha…" Leverrier retorted sarcastically. "Very funny, Mustang. It seems that I have a slight problem."

"Oh? What kind of problem?" the Flames of Wrath tried to keep his temper low. This was going to quite interesting…

* * *

Taking another elevator to the second floor, the Exorcists were led to the first empty room. Even then, Lenalee had to gasp at the beauty of the bedroom.

The walls were painted a tanned beige. Two beds, fitted with a puffy coverlet with strange ancient language printed upon it, and included a set of pillows, peach and red. Two closets, perhaps one for each person stood on opposite ends of the room, along with a pair of writing tables beside their respective closets.

"Apparently, the General actually bothered to put assignments." Ed grabbed a slip of paper, a note that Roy expected to be found by none other than his apprentice. "It says the room is for Reever and Komui."

Reever seemed thrilled, but Komui, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. He bent on his knees, begging for Ed to change the room assignments.

"But what about Lenalee?" Komui pleaded. "What about my sister?"

"She's going to share a room with Winry, so get up from your knees please…" Ed sighed. "I don't need any more of those people in the house."

"I understand…" Komui got up, but went haywire as soon as he was stable on his feet. "But what if that Winry does something horrible to Lenalee?"

"Calm down, chief," Reever restrained the raving scientist. "Winry's just a harmless girl, with a quick temper, of course, but I'm sure Lenalee can handle her."

Ed immediately dragged everyone else out the room, leaving the two scientists to deal with their own problems. They reentered the carpeted corridor again, and continued walking down. Lavi, still amused by the decorations hung around the house, took note of a vase of fresh lilies perched on an alabaster pedestal. Either Ed or Roy had a taste for furniture and décor… He guessed both.

"Now," Al looked at the room's plain white-washed door. "Lenalee will be staying in this room. Like I said, Winry's sleeping here, too."

Al tossed to Lenalee a key, which she caught easily. "Just open the door and Ross probably brought your stuff in there."

"Thanks!" Lenalee smiled, jammed the key into its proper place, and opened the door. Ed then ushered the two remaining boys and Road away with Al in front.

"As for Kanda and Lavi," Al sighed. "Since Roy's been told that you two don't get along really well, he's decided to have Lavi go to Brother's room, while Kanda rooms with me. We've provided extra beds."

"Question!" Lavi raised his hand. "Hey, Ed, do you have books in your room?"

"Of course I would, you idiot rabbit," Ed sighed. Lavi ignored the name and was busily jumping, excited about the books and followed Ed, who decided to go straight to his room. Alphonse, Road, and Kanda went elsewhere, approaching another room.

"This is yours, Road," Alphonse smiled, and handed the former Noah her key. She took it silently, and remaining two moved on, approaching another room.

"This is the room?" Kanda asked.

"Yup," Alphonse unlocked the door, presenting to Kanda dark green walls, a light tan wooden floor, and two beds, the bedding patterned with foliage. Two lamps were propped on these green walls, providing a warm lighting. A light green rug lay between the gap formed by the two beds, along with a wide beside table and a desk lamp in between. Two closets were placed into the walls in front of the beds, carved into a shape that imitated tightly wound bamboo. Between these closets were a bookshelf filled with books, considering that Alphonse was also fond of reading.

"So, what do you think?" Al asked, closing the door behind him. Kanda usually didn't really care about what was in the room as long as there was a bed, but for once he couldn't help but notice the pleasant feel of the room.

"It's… nice…" He mused, and headed for the closet, only to find his suitcase placed inside. He smirked. Silver Shield… sounded a lot more interesting now…

"Oh, yeah, you're free to do what you want now," Al headed for the door. "But it's already night, so I suggest going to sleep now."

"Where are you going, then?" Kanda looked through his suitcase.

"I need to check on something," Al smiled. "It's nothing, really."

* * *

The door closed behind him, and Kanda continued to look at the room again. Apparently, the Silver Shield were quite interested in art…

"Cool!" Lavi was surprised that even Ed's room was interesting. The room greatly resembled some ancient library. Dark tan walls were decorated with bronze-sconces with dragons perched upon them (they're fake, of course). As Ed had said, three shelves of books were lined side by side on one side of the room, complete with a long table and two chairs. The beds were light brown, with a gleaming quality to them.

"Let me guess, you designed this, too?" Lavi looked at the golden eyed Exorcist who grinned.

"The dragons were my touch, by the way…" Ed collapsed on his bed. "It's kinda dark already, so I guess I'll have to hit the sack a bit early. I'm so used to traveling, sometimes I'm not aware of how tired I am until I get home…"

"Works with me…"

* * *

Road had settled into the clothes she found in the spare drawers and was sitting in bed. The room was just like the one she had stayed in back at the inn, blue walled, and white to accompany.

For the first time in her life, Road relearned how to sleep. She tossed and turned in the soft white sheets of the bed. Her nocturnal Noah was refusing to surface so she could not worry about sleep any longer, so she tried to think herself to sleep.

She, Road Avalon Dante, was the responsibility of Alphonse Elric. She remembered Roy's reason that he gave before they left on the last train to London.

_The power of the Eastern Sage had been split between the two Elric brothers… Edward was given the might of the Sage, therefore giving him powerful and universal alchemy along with a great knowledge of alkahestry. Alphonse was given a great amount of alkahestry abilities. Both brothers have the ability to communicate with the Noah, by that, I mean breaking and gaining dominance over all dream realms. That explains why Alphonse's Innocence was able to break through your Dreams… Alphonse has mastered this ability more than Edward, so he is the better brother to keep in check with you. From now on… He'll assist you in sustaining your Noah. Your survival, Avalon, is a lucky one. I'm sure, Road, your half-brother Allen Walker will be found…_

She turned over in the bed again. The pale moonlight was striking her face, and she didn't move as a creaking of a small door alerted the presence of a visitor. Dark golden round orbs of an iris were staring down at her solemnly.

"Are you having any trouble sleeping?" It was Alphonse, holding a candlelight to his face. She sighed in relief and sat up in bed.

"I don't know how to sleep…" She answered. "It's quite embarrassing… Was I bothering you?"

"No, not at all," Al smiled warmly, setting down the candle on the bedside table, which gave a homey feeling to the honey-lit room.

"I heard your distress back in my room," He explained. "I was wondering why I heard a lot of rustles from your room."

"So I was bothering you…" Road glumly looked at the moonlit window again, and Alphonse placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey…" He frowned. "Didn't Roy say I was supposed to be in charge of you?"

Road didn't answer, and Al's lips broke into a faint smile. She was beginning to act just like she was when he first met her. This time she was much better, with her newly grown hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were completely purple, not half gold like they had been.

"Here," Alphonse grabbed hold of both of her shoulders and set her down into the bed in a lying position. "I'll help you fall asleep."

She looked quizzically at Alphonse as he then grasped her hand, and she found herself spiraling into a dark bottomless pit of a sleek metallic material.

* * *

Road landed softly in a wide room. She discovered that she wasn't wearing the nightclothes Lenalee had so kindly given to her. Instead, she was wearing the clothes as if she were attending a party or something pertaining to that subject. She looked at stray mirror and examined her new appearance.

Her dress was a simple pure white that were held by white strips of cloth, hugged about her figure, and stretched down to the middle of her shin, cut cleanly with no loose ends at the strings. Her shoes were fitted with a pair of white heels that enclosed her toes and heels in a white velvet, a white diamond at the near end of her slippers. Her wrists were adorned with white gemmed bracelets. Violet ripples of delicate hair were knotted skillfully in a curled bun fastened by a pin of one silvery dragon's head at one end, its lengthy body wrapping about the hill of hair.

She waded throughout the sea of light observing just how spacious the room was. To think, more than a hundred people could fit in this room. Her senses awakened by the soft note that played upon a faraway piano that had no pianist to control it, or was the pianist standing in her shoes?

The time of day was still night, so the ever so white moon came down in streaks of white beams at an angle. The floor was tinted a blue marble that glimmered a reflection of her feet as they clacked across the room. Blue pillars circled the room about her, painted with splashes of sky blue and white. The walls behind the blue beams of foundation were just as blue as the floor, spanning about the room. Upon the ceiling hung a grand crystal chandelier, the metal bearings made of purest silver she had never seen before, and the crystals as clear as water.

"Where am I?" She asked the silence, and she strode over to a balcony that happened to be conveniently at her left. From there, she only saw vast snowy forests, and right below her, a happy town with cheering people, skating on the frozen pond of winter. Far off, a deep blur bay with lazily rolling waves that crawled on the white sand was in sight.

"This is the realm of your mind, Road," Alphonse's voice echoed, and she spun around to see Alphonse, wearing a black suit. A black tie could be seen in this natural light. His sandy brown hair was gleaming in the light.

"My… realm… of mind?" Road uttered the words, and received a slow nod from Alphonse. Wasn't her realm of mind a sadistic playhouse with stuffed animals and tortured souls? What about the winding mazes? What about the gothic nursery?

"This realm belongs to Avalon, not the Noah of Dreams," Alphonse seemed to read her mind. "She was very fond of dancing, if you may know, and she wanted a bit more normal life, thus this ballroom and the scenery out there."

"How do you know all this?" Road asked cautiously. Al looked at her with those deep golden eyes.

"We found her diary one time… but that doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

Alphonse then held out his hand. "So… do you want to dance, Road? You're fast asleep in the real world now… the least I can do is help you have your first dream be a good one…"

The former Noah was taken aback by this request. Dance? She could never dance. If she did, she only copied the steps of the people around her, or she watched Tyki dance with those other women who wanted to twirl around the halls with him for their debutantes. She didn't pay much attention to the sake of dancing. Why should she?

Road looked at his waiting face, and she gazed at him. Alphonse gave a small smile of encouragement. For once she looked so flawless… if Lavi were here, he would be jealous of Alphonse for landing such a pretty girl…

"I… I don't know how…" that was the answer he received. Alphonse didn't give up just yet. An Elric never gives up until the task is done.

"That's fine, Road…" Al took casual steps, with his hand still out. "I can teach you to dance…"

Once the boy was close enough, he took the girl's hand, observing her flushed face as the warmth of each other's hands were intermingled. She had never truly felt warmth before. When the Noah of Dreams had tried to hug Allen to torture his mind, he must have felt warmth for real, but she wasn't able to. A Noah was a dead body, and they could never really feel. But her miraculous Innocence brought life back to her, and she could feel once more… She had heard passing children speak of how warm their mothers' hands felt when mother and child held hands, or how lovers found comfort in the warmth of hands and hugs. Back then, she could never feel the sensation of those moments… but now she could.

"Road… are you ready?" Alphonse's face caught her eye again, and she, still overwhelmed by the touch of his hands, nodded, and he led her to the middle of the room. They came to a stop, and he held the hand he had been holding for a while, her right hand intertwined his left hand.

"Do you know the basics?" Alphonse asked. Road nodded meekly, and she took her left arm, and placed her hand on Al's right shoulder, and another warm feeling tingled in her when Al placed his right hand on the small of her back. Her red blush deepened, and Al smiled.

"Are you all right?" He asked, and Road nodded.

"I'm fine…" She smiled back. "I just feel a bit weird, that's all."

"No one has ever danced with you like this?" Al asked, his head tilting slightly. Road shook her head, earning from him another grin.

"Then it's about time you found out, right?"

The first steps usually ended in failure, with her accidentally stepping on his foot, or nearly falling forwards, only to be caught and held close by the boy again, who would laugh along with her. The blush faded away as she became more comfortable with Alphonse, and after what seemed like hours, they were whirling about the room with ease. She laughed heartily as they rocked about the room with their feet, and Alphonse smiled at her happiness.

To feel happy… this was just so strange…

"To think an Exorcist like you would forgive me for what I've done…" She said to him. "I'm appalled."

"That's nothing," Alphonse answered back. "Those events you have inflicted upon us was not you, Road. Whoever did that was not of your conscience."

She smiled. The sensation she only felt for Allen Walker two years ago came back, but with more intensity. Alphonse was not the person who was supposed to protect her, or make sure she didn't kill anyone. Alphonse Elric was her savior, the one who helped her feel, and see again.

"Thank you…" She whispered, as they were brought closer together as they continued to dance to the wandering piano keys. A ray of dawn rose from the watery bay in the distance.

* * *

"Allen Walker is not in my hands any longer," Leverrier explained. "Central wanted to give the job to someone else. I tried calling you to see if you had him, but your subordinates said you weren't at your office."

"When did Allen Walker leave?" Roy asked. Mentally swearing, he held his breath, clenching his gloved hands anxiously.

"Five months ago…" Leverrier said. "I've been searching for him with the CROWs, but I don't know who would take him in, though… And no, he didn't leave… He seemed to have been taken by force. He was in too weak a state to leave on his own will. Whoever took him was good enough to slip under my nose."

Roy paused, rethinking his situation. Hawkeye, with the second phone, stared relentlessly at her boss's anguished face. Decisions were tough, no doubt about it…

"Do you have any suspects?"

"One guess," Leverrier answered. "There are Three Head Inspectors that serve the Church, am I right?"

"Quite right," Roy gestured for his coworker to continue.

"The two of us are here now," Leverrier continued. "So that leaves one person…"

Roy nodded, already knowing the answer. "Bradley."

**A/N: Whoa! Now that's some U-turn! Apparently, I have to take several summer course, some of them I'm happy, some I'm bored out of my mind, so I'm still as busy as ever. There's your nice fluff scene for Al and Road. I'm not good with writing fluff, so this is pretty good, in my opinion. When I was writing that dance scene, I was inspired by this pretty picture of a ballroom I found on DevArt, and then I heard the song from the FMA Brotherhood soundtrack, Nocturne of Amestris (both versions). As for the rooms, I wonder if I should post something on DA to give everyone a good picture of what they look like... I can do that but time's the big problem. And yes, Fuhrer Bradley is not nice all the way through, unlike the manga (he seemed like some nice grandpa at the beginning). On top of that, Fullmetal Alchemist ended (and very awesome ending). I'm just glad that my favorite characters (save for Hughes... curse you Envy!) lived happily (hint hint: Ed and Winry got married and had kids, and Roy got his eyesight back, and i think Al and May are dating, or maybe they're married, too. Hoeinheim died happily in front of Trisha's grave, which was nice, and creepy a bit, but still touching). And today, a long long long long chapter... Lately chapters for me are lengthy.  
**

**Chapter 20: Interlude and Chapter 21: The Falling Pin  
**

**Our Exorcists adjust to life at Silver Shield. Road, Lenalee, and Winry have conversations, and Kanda and Lavi get to test out the training room, ending in unexpected results. ****But by evening, Lenalee locks herself in her room. Why?****  
**


	20. Interlude

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 20 – Interlude**

* * *

Road woke up with a small stir, and she felt a breath on the back of her neck. She turned and saw Alphonse, who was sleeping soundlessly behind her, with one arm tucked beneath his head, and the other draped atop her own arm. Then she felt the repeating sensation again. Warmth.

Road's small sounds of stirring prompted Al to slowly his own eyes as the beams of morning sunlight fell on top of their faces. Al lifted his arms away from Road as she sat up in bed, and she looked at him. He was sitting on top of her bed, blankets and all, and she gave a worried expression.

"Al… weren't you cold when you slept with me?"

"No," Al shrugged and held out his hand to help her out of bed. "It's nothing… really."

An awkward silence followed when Road's words hit his head…

_I slept with her… oh gosh… I slept with her… And… it's morning, isn't it?_

"Oh!" Al broke the quiet atmosphere. "I'll leave… right… now…"

"Yeah… you do that…" Road crawled out of bed very suddenly. "I'll see you downstairs then…"

Al hastily made his way, but stopped when his hand reached the doorknob.

"Oh, and Lenalee told me yesterday that she left an extra trunk for you to use to put your clothes in and stuff… and there's a new set of clothing for you."

Road looked at the new set of foreign clothing articles and nodded at the boy to leave. The door was shut behind him, and she spent her time looking at the garments laid out before her. It was a brand new Exorcist uniform, for females, in particular. For a moment, Road admired the military-like lines, wondering if she should commend the person who made this… but then again, she probably would scare the tar of that person by accident. It may be easy for the Exorcists to accept her, but probably not the rest of the Order, or Shield. She lifted the stiff fabrics up and sighed. Her third set of clothing on the checklist…

* * *

Kanda woke up to the sound of a loud knocking on the door. He looked at the bed beside him. It seemed that Alphonse had already left. Actually, where was the younger Elric? He didn't return to the bedroom yesterday…

The knocking continued, much to his chagrin. Kanda growled as he pushed himself out of bed and opened the door. From there, he saw Falman, a tall man with graying short hair. The man saluted, prompting small wonders to the Japanese samurai.

"Mr. Kanda," Falman addressed him accordingly. "Alphonse has already-"

"I think I already know that," Kanda sighed. "Anything else?"

"I was going to tell you where the cafeteria is," Falman continued. "It's to the left of the training facility, if you know where that is."

Kanda said nothing, but nodded, receiving another salute. He shut the door behind him, and noticed a mirror on the wall opposite the door. His hair had been let loose, as if he were a girl letting his hair down. Seeing this, he reached for his hair tie that was wound about his right arm, fixing his hair into the usual ponytail.

"Much better," He sighed again, and went to the closet. Kanda decided to go for his sleeveless turtleneck for the day, considering that he would be inside most of the day. He sauntered down the corridor, his mind set on getting to the bottom floor. Then the door he was approaching swung open, revealing a rather half-awake Ed, already dressed in his casual red longcoat and black sleeveless shirt, but he was still on the verge of yawning a few more times. Golden eyes saw the blue haired Exorcist.

"Oh, Kanda, you're up at this time?" Ed asked. Kanda nodded and peered into Ed's rooming, noticing the lump (Lavi) on one of the beds.

"Oh, Lavi…" Ed laughed. "He didn't wake up yet."

"The idiot rabbit usually wakes up pretty late after missions," Kanda added, and the two walked side by side down the hall in respectful silence. They reached the elevator, but it was taking too long. Being the impatient ones they are, Ed and Kanda looked at the flight of stairs beside the elevator.

"There is the stairs, if you want to take the long way," Ed suggested.

"Fine," Kanda complied. "I guess I don't feel like taking the elevator today."

* * *

The cafeteria was not as large as the one back at the Order. Ed explained that the reason why was because a majority of the Finders eat at their own housing before coming to work. Kanda paid little attention to things like that. All he was happy about was the fact that the cafeteria had soba.

It was different from the one he had eaten back at the Order, but it tasted very similar to the one Armstrong made when he and Al were back at Majahal's. Come to think of it, he was sure the chef here had the same small tuft of curled hair like Armstrong…

"So," Ed asked Kanda. "How do you like it here?"

"It's… fine…" Kanda answered hesitantly, setting down his chopsticks.

"You know," Ed suggested after swallowing his pancake. "After this, I'm hitting the training room. You coming?"

"Where else would I go?" Kanda agreed. "Of course I'm going! I'm not the idiot rabbit who has to do his reading homework every day!"

"I do not read every day!" Lavi's voice made the two of them jump. Ed spun around on his chair.

"Lavi!" Both boys yelled. "Don't scare us like that!"

"Sorry," Lavi laughed. "But the expressions on your faces were just so priceless!"

The redhead set his tray of food down beside Kanda, who found great discomfort being placed between two people. Usually he preferred to sit by himself, but today was an exception, apparently.

Instead, he contemplated more upon the fact of the reason why he came to the Silver Shield. All Mustang wanted was to gather everyone for the search. Inwardly, Kanda could tell that the attempt would be fruitless… Then he remembered Timcampy, the golden golem that always followed the bean sprout… He recalled Tiedoll's advice about Timcampy to Lenalee and Allen himself. Timcampy is equipped with a built-in homing device to track down its master.

Obviously, Cross disappeared, and probably didn't plan on coming back for a long time (again). He probably programmed Tim to stick with Allen instead. But the main problem… where would Tim be? He hadn't seen the golem for a year, ever since Allen was taken away kicking and shouting. Moreover, he didn't understand how Tim's functions would work… would they need a password? An identification?

He then wondered if Noah could keep track of Noah… Road was with them, so why couldn't she just find Allen herself for them? It would make things so much more easier… but it probably wasn't possible, since Roy had not told him that. So the only shot was Timcampy… Just where would it be…?

"Hey, Yuu," Lavi snapped Kanda out of his thoughts. "Aren't you going to eat breakfast?"

True, Kanda hadn't really touched his food for a while since the minute he came to the table. He sighed, picking up the chopsticks again. Ed and Lavi still had a long way to go before they finished, so he had time. However, the thought about Allen's golem lingered in his head.

* * *

"Yay! It's the big giant room again!" Lavi ran about the floor with his arms outstretched. Ed and Kanda followed, watching Lavi make a fool of himself. Then a sweep of air went past Ed's face, and with catlike reflexes, the Fullmetal Alchemist caught a large staff that had whizzed by with his automail arm.

"Whoa!" Al shouted from the corner of the room. "You've gotten faster, brother!"

"Thanks, Al!" Ed waved the javelin and then placed it on the floor. Kanda could still not believe the size of the room. Lenalee and Road were busy in one corner, having already trained earlier. Ed made a run for the control room, and he found several switches.

"Aha!" Ed smiled evilly. "My favorite part of the training room…"

A button labeled with the image of a raindrop caught his mischievous eye, and he pressed it. He heard a cry of surprise from everyone in the room, and he peered out the door. He grinned, and pressed the cloud button.

Rain was falling in the room, in heavy sheets. And soon, the amount increased tenfold, and everyone was dancing around as if they were playing a major water fight in history. Kanda was trying stay still, as a giant gust of wind was trying to sweep him about, his hair flying. Lenalee and Road were giggling, trying to splash each other with water by kicking their feet. As for Lavi…

"The floor is getting slippery!" Lavi squeaked as his legs gave way, and he fell flat on his back. Everyone laughed as Lavi tried to mimic and ice skater on shattering ice as he laughed along, ridiculing his own maladroit abilities at balance.

"Hey, brother!" Al laughed. "Turn it off!"

"Okay!" Ed promptly switched off, and the room stopped its heavy storm, the water draining away. Everyone was drenched wet, and they spent the rest of their morning drying themselves before lunch. They returned to the room again, only to try using the desert mode. Everyone was parched after that…

* * *

"Lenalee?" Road's surprisingly small voice caught her attention, and Lenalee looked at the former Noah. They had finished training, and of course, they were deadbeat tired.

"Yes?"

"How come… Why do you accept me so easily?"

Lenalee sighed, and thought out her answer.

"That's because… we humans have a thing called hope. Even though we are put in unfavorable situations, we still hope the silver lining does appear. Everyone here is putting their trust in your well being. If you do come off as a good person, we'll be happy. If not, then we won't be. It's really that simple."

Road nodded at the former's words of inspiration, and Lenalee looked at the ongoing match again.

"You know…" she added. "I've always wanted a friend who was a girl and was about my age… There's Winry, but we hardly ever talk because she's usually in the Science Department, and I'm an Exorcist… and she doesn't drink coffee (I wonder why), so I don't get to see her on my coffee-delivering rounds…"

"Aren't there others in the Order who are female Exorcists?" Road asked in a puzzled manner. "Like… that Miranda Lotto, perhaps?"

"She's quite older than me… Finding an interest that we share is very difficult… She usually hangs around the kitchen to help with the cooking… Actually, she's gotten better nowadays… But we talk, but not in an equal sort of way…"

"Well… since I'm here," Road decided to start. "Why don't we start talking now?"

"That's good," Lenalee smiled. "How about… let's start with Alphonse!"

"Alphonse?" Road tilted her head quizzically, noticing the said person laughing at Lavi's clumsiness. "Why Alphonse?"

"Because you've been really clingy to him!" Lenalee smiled. "Tell me… what do you think of him?"

Road flushed deep red. Would it be all right for her to spill her thoughts out to Lenalee? They only knew each other for a few days, and this was how it all came down to?

"He's… nice… and caring…" Road began. Gee, and that was all she could think of? "He smiles a lot…"

Lenalee observed her friend's actions and nodded at her words as Road continued to describe the young boy. She laughed at some comments and sometimes corrected Road when her thoughts were tangled up. In the end, the message came through quite clearly.

"That's Alphonse for you," Lenalee smiled. "If you've been with him for a month, like me, then you'd understand…"

Wanting to skip the subject about Alphonse… Road then spoke up. "What about you, Lenalee? Don't you have someone you like?"

"Me?" Lenalee pointed at herself and laugh. "Not particularly. Lavi's nice and all. Kanda has a big heart if you know his good side. Ed's just… Ed. And Alphonse is really more interested in you."

The emerald haired girl caught Road's blush upon the mention of the subject again.

"I don't really have a thing for the guys in the Order… Although…"

Road hung at the hesitant word as Lenalee swayed on her feet.

"There is this one person…" Lenalee explained. "I've met him probably more than once, but I don't remember him… He only appears in my dreams, but it seems I've met him before…"

The Noah seemed to be quite curious, but Road forced it down. "Oh… really? What's he like?"

"He has white hair…" Lenalee mused. "He's really really nice… But the problem is that I've never truly seen his face in these dreams… His face is always blurred out… He seemed to be present during the events that happened two years ago, like the Arc and all, but that's all I know… I wonder if he's an Exorcist, too…"

"White hair, huh?" Road thought, and her Noah side was echoing the name. Allen Walker. But she mustn't jump to conclusions. Maybe this guy's name wasn't Allen Walker. She decided to put it in the back burner and ask Alphonse later.

"He also must have told me some really valuable…" Lenalee added. "He said that 'Akuma come to Exorcists for assistance to rid themselves of the loathing and hate that comes upon them, since they are souls ripped from the heavens…' He also said Exorcists are given the duty to bring salvation upon these tormented souls… At first, I thought it was quite ridiculous… but I somehow accepted that idea…"

"He must have been really intelligent…" Road suggested, and Lenalee sat up.

"Oh, did I mention he ate a lot? I mean, mountain loads! If you looked into my dreams, Road, you'd be amazed at how much he eats! The tower of food probably stacks up to the ceiling!"

They both laughed at the thought of picturing a scene like that, and once the laughter mellowed out.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find him someday…" Road encouraged the other, and then her lips curled into a mischievous smile. "I sure you'll get married to him… You planned anything yet in your dreams?"

"I dunno…" Lenalee laughed at Road's joke. "But if you get married to Alphonse, I'll be happy to be the bridesmaid!"

Road smiled… Communication… That was something she lacked as a Noah. Convey feelings to one another. Humans were just so full of different emotions, while Noah were specifically assigned to one aspect or feeling.

"I'm going to take a break," Lenalee smiled before walking out the door. "See you at lunch?"

"Yeah," Road smiled back, and the green haired Exorcist left with content on her face.

* * *

She kept walking… and walking… and passing by a door, she couldn't but notice the people behind, since the door was open. A tight-lipped blond woman was ordering her workers to give report. One of them, a white haired young man with red eyes, saluted and began his suggestion.

"Allen Walker is probably within this area," Lenalee heard one of the Finders report. "We've been seeing more CROW units in these places…"

"There's been a change in plans, Miles," Armstrong announced. "You should stop looking out for CROW. Bradley's the responsible one now."

"Allen… Walker…" Lenalee said the name, and she vanished from her place past the swinging doors.

* * *

She returned to the room she shared with Winry, and slumping behind the closed door, the golden golem she knew so well flew over to greet her. She had one question… one burning question…

"Timcampy…" Lenalee looked at the fluttering golem. "Do you know anything about Allen Walker?"

The Golem nodded, opening its mouth wide, and a portrayal of a projector appeared, upon the words said.

"Password activated. Now browsing through memories of Allen Walker…" A female computer voice announced.

"A recording?" Lenalee asked herself, as an image appeared.

A young boy with brown hair was weeping at a single gravestone, labeled Mana Walker. Suddenly a floating fat man landed behind the grave, staring down at the pitiful child. Lenalee immediately recognized this man as the Millennium Earl. As for the boy, the face… the expression… the hairstyle… was quite nostalgic.

_"So… little Allen Walker… Do you wish to see your father again?"_

_ "Y…Yes…"_

_

* * *

_

A destroyed city housed nothing but rubble, demolished lampposts, and crumbling buildings, which were dusted gray over the once white walls. The cobblestones were buried in ash, and sky was eternally gray, a spiraling cloud circling above on a white tower that stayed resided in the center of the city. The surroundings were awful, as if no one bothered to clean after themselves, if there were any people living here in the first place.

Black hair was the color of the escapee's hair, his golden eyes flitting warily. His skin was dark gray, as if he were half dead, but still fully alive. His clothing was heavily tattered, the white shirt in ruins, and the pants with large gashes from sword cuts and black blood.

A young boy in a straitjacket, his eyes closed, and his silvery hair ruffled and showered with black soot, was held by the man, not feeling anything, not seeing anything. His arms were still bound in front of him by several restraints, and his legs were done in the same manner. The high collar that was solely for gagging him was unfastened, showing the abuse that had been done to his poor neck. His face was easily showing the malnutrition his suffered, and the red pentacle scar was easily visible, as red as ever.

Panting, a man was sprinting across these pitiful streets. He cursed himself for not having had exercise for three decades, and he winced at the pain in his left arm, where a bruise was peeking out of his mangled white dress shirt. He arms were getting tired, but his fingers resolved to clutch onto the person he had rescued, a young boy. The two of them were the only survivors, and only residents of this city, and this was the first time they met. The running man wasn't sure what his companion felt, since the poor thing was unconscious when he had found him.

"Come out, wherever you are... Dorian..." A taunting voice, made the already tired man jump and run harder.

"You can't run away anymore... Dorian... or should I say... the 14th?" The voice made him stop dead. Dorian was standing in the middle of vacant town square, where an abandoned fountain had once been. He cautiously held onto the boy he carried, watching the perimeters. He was fooled again as a man began to charge dangerously at his back, and before he could register anything, the wind was knocked out of his lungs as he and the sleeping boy was flung into a nearby building, He gasped, and the boy looked more limp than ever. Dorian panicked as he picked the boy up again. He could sense the boy's heart was going far too slow, too slow to be called normal and on a good way of recovering. They had to get out of here fast.

Dorian's opponent was a middle aged man. He wore black eyepatch over his battle-experienced face, his black hair sleeked back, to give more into his large buff figure. The man wielded two swords in his hands, while Dorian had nothing. To make matters worse, the one eyed man was wearing horrid smile, one that could make anyone want to back down from a battle with him.

"Now... little Dorian..." the man took a step closer, and Dorian backed up into a wall. "Hand me the boy, and I'll give you more time before you perish, too."

The golden eyes narrowed angrily... "No, I cannot give you Allen Walker. He's been damaged enough, Bradley."

"I say not," Bradley took another step. "He's needs more discipline. Besides, the plan to restrain the both of you from betraying the Church is almost in completion..."

Dorian raised his hand, gathering the black Matter he had practiced for centuries. If he could just tear apart this man, he would be fine. Allen's head lolled over to the side of the collar of his gray straitjacket, still unconscious. The poor boy, he thought, to be broken on both sides... If he hadn't found the stairway to the tower, Allen would've been past the point of no return. Dorian's sympathetic eyes gathered small droplets of water, but he hesitated for too long. A sharp blade, pierced through his hand that was supporting the target, and Dorian yelped in pain, reluctantly stepping back, and Allen clattered to the ground, just like a broken marionette. Bradley grabbed his prize by the scruff of the collar, his swords dripping in the said black blood that only existed in Noah. He dealt a blow to Dorian's head, dragging Allen with him as he continued to beat down the Noah.

"I'll remind you one more time," Bradley continued. "You have only a few more days to live before I come after you."

"No..." Dorian tried to reach for Allen with his outstretched hand, but Bradley swiftly turned around, tugging the poor victim across the floor. The uncomfortable feel of rugged terrain, made the silver haired boy stir, and his eyes cracked open with dry lashes, a small glint of silver in his eyes, he saw the fallen 14th still looking desperately at him on the floor, and he looked up slowly to see Bradley pulling him. He wanted to escape... but he was so tired... just so tired... His eyes drifted to another dreamless state, and a small scream of a familiar girl made him enter uneasy sleep.

_"ALLEN!"_

**A/N: Today is double chapter day! This chapter's a bit weird... a lighthearted beginning and a suspenseful and scary ending... Bradley is evil! As for the 14th's name, I stuck with Dorian, because "Dorian Gray" = -man... so it made sense. Undoubtedly, Lenalee must have seen everything, and she's on major nervous breakdown, as you can see from that scream at the end. The next chapter is more tense, but... Read this bonus down here!  
**

Featuring a bonus scene! This is a draft scene that happened to be in the files, and this was supposed to be after Al leaves Road in the morning (after their little night together). This took place before they arrived at the Shield, so it's at some random inn. Lavi's just too curious for his own good:

Alphonse closed the door behind him, and was caught off guard by Lavi snickering before him. The redhead was leaning against the wall beside the door to the Elric brothers' room.

"Wow…" Lavi joked. "You sure start young…"

Alphonse frowned and headed for the door to his room.

"Whatever," He dismissively answered, but right when he was about to open the door, Lavi stopped him by holding onto his outstretched hand.

"I wouldn't open it if I were you…" Lavi smiled in nervousness. "You see… Winry went inside last night…"

Alphonse sighed, seeing a fake air to it. However, even though Winry and Ed would never do _that…_ at a time like this, he mustn't take any chances. He stomped up to the door and began banging on the it instead.

"Brother! Winry! Wake up, you lovebirds! Hurry out and get out of the room! Don't make me come in there!"

The first response was a shout and then Ed's big string of curses and profanities as a series of shuffling stomps to the floor came closer. The door was immediately flung open as a disheveled-looking Edward Elric was fuming at the opened door. Obviously he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. No way Winry would be there…

"What the hell are you saying, Al!" Ed shouted. "Winry was never in here! Who the hell told you that, damnit!"

Ed then stopped and turned to Lavi, who sweatdropped at the former's fury, and attempted to back away.

"Lavi…" Ed snarled like a vicious animal. "Come back here so I can rip your feet off and put them on your head… it's an order…"

"Sorry, Inspector… or… um… Major…" Lavi smiled, still backing away. "I think I value my life more than your orders…"

A series of footsteps made him freeze. Winry was staring behind him, and he spun to look at Winry.

"Oh? What's wrong?" Winry asked innocently. Lavi then gave a sigh of relief. She didn't hear anything just yet… then he saw a dark aura rising from her as she slowly drew out her wrench. Oh, take back that first comment. She did hear everything…

* * *

Road had finished taking a quick shower, and was stepping out of the compartment with a towel about her body when she heard a big bang from outside of her room followed by many screams and yells and swearing. She sighed, and proceeded to get dried up.

"I wonder what happened…" She muttered to herself, reaching for her clothes.

* * *

Lavi's soul was comedically leaking away from his body, as a fuming Ed was standing beside him, bringing questions from the others about what had happened between them. A group of carriages was waiting outside for them as they prepared to leave. Al, meanwhile was waiting for the door to Road's room open, and out stepped Road in an Exorcist uniform identical to Lenalee's.

"W…Wow…" Alphonse smiled. "You look great…"

Road was slightly startled that Alphonse was right next to her, but she smiled back with a faint tinge of red on her cheeks.

"Thank you…" She smiled, and allowed Alphonse to take her arm in arm down the stairs. Whatever happened back at the room at midnight would remain between them, and no one else.


	21. The Falling Pin

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 21 – The Falling Pin**

* * *

"What?"

"General, sir…" Fury trembled. He had never seen the Chief so emotionally worked up. The pieces of a broken ceramic cup of coffee lay in the pool of brown beverages. No one paid attention to that.

"She's locked herself up…?" Roy repeated his subordinate's words. "Just this evening?"

"Yes…"

The black haired man stormed out of the room, with Hawkeye running after him. The blond woman stopped at the door, and turned to the other people in the office.

"You people stay here!" She ordered, and then shot her glare at Leverrier. "And you, too."

"Yes, ma'am," Leverrier sighed, reaching for his cup of tea again. Hawkeye immediately went downstairs for crowd control. The scream earlier was going to worry everyone...

_

* * *

"WHY DID YOU STOP ME!" A white haired teen shouted at a green haired girl as the smoke cleared from a loud explosion. He was enraged, completely enraged, that she had saved him when he could've saved that Akuma…_

_ Lenalee lost control and slapped him with all her might. The world echoed for him as she was furiously panting after a long fight. The sound of Road's cackling didn't help, either…_

_ "BECAUSE WE'RE FRIENDS!" She yelled at the boy, who stopped short of his rage, but a small bit of tranquil fury overwhelmed him._

_ "You…"_

* * *

The Elrics, Kanda, Lavi, Winry and Road were running their hardest up the stairs. They didn't bother to take the elevator.

"Hey, Yuu!" Lavi shouted. "Why the heck would Lenalee lock herself up?"

"You moron!" Kanda shouted. "She probably found out about that stupid beansprout and is moping over it! Why else would she do that?"

"Wow!" Lavi was taken aback. "You can read emotions so easily, but you none at all-"

"Shut up, Lavi!" Ed fumed. "We don't have to joke around! We need Timcampy! And it's inside the room with Lenalee!"

_

* * *

"Um… Come to think of it… we haven't had the chance to talk since then, so…"_

_ Lenalee stopped before him, and Allen set down his luggage, with a solemn expression upon his face. Lenalee didn't turn around just yet…_

_ "About that time… I'm sorry!"_

_ Allen's loud apology caught the attention of all the passersby. The conductor stopped to stare at the impending drama as well. Watching a girl put down an Exorcist seemed intriguing, apparently. Allen proceeded to life his head up, but Lenalee slammed the paper bag of groceries upon his head, stopping his actions._

_ "Don't raise your face up yet. I still won't forgive you." Lenalee's cold tone made him freeze, and he didn't bother to resist._

_ "Ah… yes…" he simply agreed._

_ "Allen… you're so selfish," the former declared. "You're the only one who can see Akuma's souls so you carry everything on your shoulders and fight by sacrificing yourself."_

_ Everyone was silent as Lenalee still kept her hands on the paper bag as if rested on Allen's head._

_ "Does being friends mean anything to you?"_

_ No answer._

_ "Don't insult me! Why can't we fight together?"_

_ Lenalee was unable to see the guilt-stricken face of Allen as she began to form tears in her eyes._

_ "I hate… your left eye… I hate it…" She whispered._

_ "I'm sorry…" Allen replied. Lenalee let go of the paper bag and, stumbling backwards, finally fell to her knees as the audience gasped at her reaction. Allen hastily snatched the bag off his head, and bent down to his knees._

_ "Lenalee…" Allen tried to comfort her. "Thanks for saving me…"_

_ Lenalee defiant got up to her feet and turned her back on him, as he looked skeptically at the girl._

_ "I'll save you many more times!" she declared, and she sprinted away into the train car. When she realized Allen hadn't gone after her, she turned back, poking her head past the door._

_ "What are you doing? Hurry up and get on! If we miss this one, the next train going to Rome won't be until tomorrow!"_

_ "Ah…" Allen was flustered as he picked up the luggage and grocery bag. "Okay!"_

* * *

They raced to the door of Winry's room, seeing that Komui had already been there, banging frantically on her door. He repeatedly called her name, but no answer came from behind the woodwork.

"She's not answering?" Roy frowned deeply, receiving a slow nod from the horrified Supervisor. He turned to his staff and the Exorcists that had just arrived.

"Anyone have the master key?" He called, but all he got was shaking heads.

"Damn it…" Roy swore under his breath. They could break it down, but the thought of how much damage it would make was not good at all.

_

* * *

"Yeager! General Yeager!"_

_ Allen and Lenalee rushed themselves in the beating rain, only to find the remains of the Exorcist General's carriage, and destroyed Akuma. Allen examined the rubble, but found nothing. He got down to his knees in defeat, while Lenalee searched about the area, and she gasped. Allen did the same. A finder stood in the rain by the clearing in the forest, his head bowed. The two ran to the Finder in panic._

_ "Terry!" Allen demanded. "Where's the General?"_

_ "He's…" The Finder choked on his words, and he turned in the direction left of him, and Lenalee and Allen did the same…_

_ They saw… the two Finders assigned to the General gathering about a large oak tree, and upon that tree, the swishing of torn black cloth… Blood… red… deep red blood on the limbs of the tree, and of a human…_

_ Allen gasped again as he dropped the suitcase in his hands. Lenalee placed a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. Allen took slow steps towards the fallen human… but as the fog cleared, Allen gasped once more._

_ Lenalee dropped her own luggage and fell to her knees, clutching her head to take out the memories of the dying General. Allen bowed his head and closed his eyes, but the twitching of chains, made him look up… the General's arm was twitching…_

_ "General?" Allen gasped, and then he turned to the Finders._

_ "Get more Finders, and contact the Supervisor!" He ordered, and they set to their work, believing that the General could be saved somehow. Lenalee was still crying as a comforting arm wrapped around her and helped her up._

_ "It's okay… Lenalee… Everything is going to be all right…" Lenalee looked Allen, and nodded. Little did they know just how bad the situation was…_

* * *

"Lenalee..." Komui pleaded. "Open the door, please…"

The sobbing continued, and Kanda finally lost his patience. Drawing his Mugen, he glared at everyone, telling them to back away. Lavi paled, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

"Hey, Yuu, isn't that a bit overrated-"

"Shut up, stupid rabbit!" Kanda shouted. "This is urgent!"

_

* * *

Lenalee screamed at the top of her lungs at the horrid sight of Suman Dark, who had become a Fallen One. Allen looked worriedly at the girl as she fell to her knees, clutching her head in agony. He bent down and wrapped his arms around her._

_ "Lenalee… what's wrong?"_

_ Still clutching her head, she slowly tried to get up, but fell down again._

_ "A… Fallen… One…"_

_ Allen gasped at Lenalee's words._

_ "He failed in the eyes of God…" She gasped. The memories that horrible experiment continued to haunt her as Allen's warmth was calming her at the same time._

_ "Why did he have to become a Fallen One?" Lenalee cried. "He was a host! An Exorcist! He's Suman Dark!"_

_ "Suman… Dark…?" Allen muttered, and Lenalee nodded._

_ "He had a parasitic Innocence, just like you…" She added."I knew he'd gone missing after an attack on Sokaro's team in India, but… Why did he have to fall? What happened to him?"_

_ She buried her face into Allen's chest as he turned to the strange torso like creature with a sympathetic expression on his face._

_ "How… did this happen?"_

* * *

Slow footsteps made their way up the stairs, whistling a tragic tune. Brown hazel eyes flitted to the carpeted steps. Apparently Mustang had a flair for pretty things, he thought to himself.

His black long coat was slightly brushing against the banister he held onto, his red hair billowing as he picked up the pace. Glasses bobbed up and down the rim of his nose as he maintained a fast power walk. The time was urgent, so he had to make haste.

_

* * *

Lavi and Lenalee watched the gruesome details of Allen's adventure to save Suman and attacked by Noah, and she had gone to her knees to cry for Allen's cries. Timcampy's recordings stopped, and Lenalee and Lavi were left staring blankly at the area before them._

_ "Allen…" Lenalee muttered._

_ Lavi clenched his fists until Timcampy fluttered to him, and he let it perch on his hand._

_ "It looks like this is where he must have separated from Allen… When the Noah came and broke Allen's Innocence, he tried to at least protect Suman's Innocence."_

_ He watched Lenalee struggle to a small patch in the clearing of the thick bamboo forest, where lay a bloodstained layer of fallen leaves. She examined the red splotch in the green._

_ "Bloodstains," She confirmed, and a single teardrop fell on her hand. "He was here… but he's not here… He's not anywhere!"_

_ Allen was injured or maybe dead by that Noah, and she and Lavi could do… nothing… He was gone… he was gone… he was gone…_

* * *

Why had she forgotten?

Why did she not remember?

Why, when the answer to Allen's name was so obvious, did she rack her brain over that?

"Why?" Lenalee questioned herself allowed. She buried her face in the mass of blankets and pillows, and Timcampy was attempting to pull her hair to make her go open the door.

_

* * *

Miranda stared at Lenalee's still blank face as she offered the younger woman towels. She wondered why, but Bookman stopped her from asking._

_ "Her heart is still in disarray," he explained briskly. "Lady Lenalee regrets that she had left Allen alone last night. She blames herself for it…"_

_ Lavi gave an irritated snort, and a shattering of glass resounded in the cabin of the moving ship. Lavi's fist was slightly bleeding from the shards, but Lenalee didn't react._

_ "Enough," Lavi scolded her. "It couldn't be helped. We were fighting for our lives last night. There's no way we could've saved him. This is WAR! It can't be helped! Give up and stand!"_

_ Lenalee's eyes quivered and the tears fell freely again so quickly, many wondered if her eyes had run dry yet. Lavi stuttered nervously at her response to his forceful words, only to be scorned by the other Exorcists on the ship for making her cry… but he was right. The objective was finding Cross, no matter what the price._

_ She remembered a strange book Lavi handed to her one time, about Alchemy… For something to be gained, something of equal value must be given up… the law was unfolding itself right here… right now… but why did it have to be Allen… she didn't know… probably God just hated her that much..._

* * *

"Lenalee! Lenalee!"

The cries were increasing, and everyone outside panicked, and eventually a riot increased. Roy grit his teeth. This would only frustrate the poor girl even more if they crowded her front door. He made action to clear the crowd, barking orders at everyone to get back to work.

_

* * *

Lenalee woke up to see Allen, alive and well, with his warm smiled._

_ "Lenalee!" Allen was overjoyed that she was awake._

_ "Allen…" Lenalee said weakly._

_ "Yeah…" Allen answered back. "I'm sorry…"_

_ Lenalee looked at him, not knowing what he meant, but seeing his downcast eyes, she eventually figured out the problem._

_ "Forgive me, Lenalee…"_

_ "Why are you saying sorry?"_

_Lenalee took her weary hand to meet Allen's face, who was surprised by her statement._

"_If it's about Suman…" Lenalee struggled to get up. "You saved him, Allen…"_

_Lenalee stroked the stray lock of white hair affectionately._

"_That's why he didn't die in vain…"_

_Allen was shocked that she knew everything he went through to save Suman, but all his attempts had failed._

"_I'm positive you save his heart…" Lenalee smiled. She continued to run her fingers through his silver hair._

"_Welcome back… Allen…" She smiled, and the tears in her eyes fell, and Allen's eyes welled with the salty tears as well, although he was unaware of it._

"_I'm… back…" He muttered._

* * *

The scientists were quickly passing news that an Exorcist who was visiting was having a violent nervous breakdown, but that was just a hyperbole, but they believed it.

Any mention of the subject died down as Hawkeye past the working subordinates, her eyes sharp, and her glare as frightening as possible.

"Get back to work," Hawkeye said coldly, and she looked out the window, praying that Roy would stop this madness.

_

* * *

"Krory!" Lenalee tried to get past Allen, who was keeping her away from the door they had left, leaving Krory behind to deal with Jasdevi. "Even though he was injured… he… We have to go back!"_

_ "Lenalee…" Allen tried to calm the girl down, but she refused._

_ "Let go of me!" She swat away Allen's arms. "We can't keep getting separated!"_

_ "Lenalee!" Allen raised his voice, and Lenalee silenced herself once Allen placed his hands on her bare shoulders again. He lifted his hands to the sides of her face._

_ "Don't worry," He reassure her. "We'll definitely go home together. That means Krory and Kanda, too. I'm not giving up."_

_ Lenalee stared dumbfounded at Allen as his grip tightened._

_ "I'm struggling and struggling to protect everyone," He explained. "This isn't the strong Lenalee I know…"_

_ Lenalee let the tears fall freely down her face. Allen then gave a weak smile._

_ "You're older than me, aren't you?" Allen reminded her._

* * *

"G…Go away…" Lenalee gasped. Komui dared to take one more step.

"Lenalee…"

"I said!" Lenalee shouted. "Go away!"

She didn't want anyone to come… No one… because they were not going to do anything… and Allen was gone… She realized the sinking truth. Allen was gone… He couldn't have survived a whole year… He just couldn't have… If he was dead, what did she have to live for?

_

* * *

They came to the new headquarters with a small party for the entire Order as a grand opening of some sort. Everyone was up and alive, and cheering and proposing toasts in prospect for a good victory in the Holy War._

_ It was the four of them once again: Kanda, Lavi, Allen, and Lenalee. Talking amongst themselves, Lavi finally decided to drag Kanda away, rambling on about some female scientist with blond hair. The Destroyer of Time and the wielder of Dark Boots were left alone, and Allen decided to take her to an open balcony overlooking that currently calm ocean that swayed ever so gently in the moonlight._

_ The first thing Allen did was smile, and the girl smiled back. Although younger than her by just a year, he had grown half a head taller than her. She couldn't help but admire the boy for being such a good partner and friend for so long._

_He reached out his hand and began caressing her hair the same way she herself had done to him when he came back to see her. She blushed at the warm touch that brushed by her cheeks, and he continued to wear that nice smile that could make anyone melt._

"_You should grow your hair long…" He commented. "You're pretty when it's long…"_

"_I've been considering it…" Lenalee's eyes wandered to the open sea below. "I just worry that it'll get burned off again."_

"_You don't have to worry about that… Lenalee…" Allen stopped stroking her hair and placed a hand on her shoulder. "By that time, you battled a Level Three. It was difficult back then, but now, you're capable of battling a Level Four. If a Level Three tries to go up against you, I doubt it'll stand a chance against you."_

_Lenalee laughed quietly, and continued to stare at the ocean below._

"_Allen…" she found a new subject. "Don't you think standing here feels dangerous?"_

"_Why do you say that?"_

"_We 're right on top of the sea, and from here, I see sharp rocks…" Lenalee observed. A pair of arms then wrapped around her, and she instantly flushed red._

"_You don't have to fret about that…" Allen comforted her. "If the balcony does break, I'll use Crown Clown to get us out. But I'm not sure how Link would react when I use my Innocence for something so small."_

_ They laughed at the thought of a raging Link over a trivial matter, or even Komui thanking Allen a million times over for saving Lenalee "from a horrible fate." Silence fell over them, and Allen let go of Lenalee. She felt alone for a moment, as the biting cold came back to her system, but the hands returned to her shoulders, but this time, the face of a charming silver haired boy was gazing straight at her._

_ "I love you," He finally declared. "You know that?"_

_ "I have…" Lenalee's face turned pink again. "And… I do… too…"_

_ Allen cupped Lenalee's face by his hands and the two drew closer together. The silence between was so great one could hear a pin drop._

* * *

"That's it!" Ed gave up. He would destroy the door! Kanda followed suit, and the two crouched to launch themselves, but Lavi and Al refrained them, and they kicked and screamed.

The noise was deafening, and nothing could be done.

_

* * *

The world felt like slow motion for her as she saw Allen collapsing within a circle of CROW members, and she dropped the books she was holding, spinning on her feet._

"_Allen!" Lenalee ran forward, but was blocked Link's outstretched hand. Allen squirmed under the bindings as they wound about him more and more… The sight hurt Lenalee… she couldn't bear it… cannot see it…_

_ "D-damn you!" She shouted. "Link! Let me go!"_

_ "I'm sorry but, these are my orders…"_

_ "We don't care about your damn orders!" Lavi shouted. "Let Allen go!"_

_ Allen was struck down onto the floor, and he gasped in pain, and Lenalee finally lost it._

_ "No! Stop it! At this rate-"_

_ Leverrier proceeded to stomp on Allen's abused head, and the boy shrieked as the impact of the man's heel ground him into the marble floor. After a round beatings, Allen immediately was placed under chloroform, and he faded away, and his movements weakened by the second. Lenalee tried to reach as far as she could for Allen._

_ "Allen! No!"_

* * *

"Timcampy…" Lenalee muttered. The golem looked at her.

"What do I do?" She asked it, and it didn't answer, but she knew.

_Stop acting like this and have people help you._

"But… how…?"

_

* * *

Lenalee returned to the Order with a slightly strange feeling. She felt like she had forgotten something back at Central, and she wasn't sure what or who…_

_ Arriving at her bedroom, she saw a gold glint step in, and there she saw it._

_ A golden golem with angel-like wings, a gold plated cross on the side facing her. At the back, a golden cloud like tail bloomed. The strange object aroused nostalgic happiness, and she reached out to it, and, like a bird, it perched on her outstretched finger._

_ "I wonder if you belong to someone…" She said to it, and it didn't answer. "What is your name?"_

_ "Timcampy." A strange speaker, as expected from a golem, voiced out its name. The speaker sounded like a teenage boy, but still, anonymous. Lenalee stared blankly at it, and smiled._

_ "Timcampy? That's a fancy name for a golem."_

_ For once, she thought she heard the voice before, and she didn't bother to think any more about it after on._

* * *

Everyone gasped as a looming shadow fell upon the Exorcists. People sputtered, but no one dared to say his name. Roy frowned.

"Idiot," He growled at the newcomer. "You had the master key all along."

"I needed it, you know," the new man sighed. "You can't get much if you aren't in control…"

_

* * *

Hey, Allen...Come to think of it, I never asked you this before, but...do you like Tim? I asked you to keep hold of him for me but...To be honest, I was always planning on giving him to you. I've told Tim he can do as he likes from now on. You may not want to listen to me, knowing that I'm carrying on the 14's will…But in case you're thinking you're being made to walk a path the 14__th__ and I chose for you...I just wanted to tell you you're wrong. A path is something you create as you walk it. The ground you've trodden hardens, and that's what forms your path. You're the only one that can create your own path. So stop wearing that mask of "Mana". Walk on your own. If you haven't given up yet, that is_.

* * *

"Out of the way," A gruff voice stopped the clamor, and Lenalee looked up, her purple eyes still glistening as she heard several people gasp.

"G…General…" Lavi sputtered, and he, like everyone else, cleared the way.

"Breaking down like that…" the familiar voice scolded Lenalee. "I'm sure you're much stronger than this…"

Lenalee herself was wide-eyed, surprised at the newcomer. Long red hair… half of an opera mask… this was all too real. His face was different however, wearing a face of sympathy, something he lacked since his earlier days.

"General…C…Cross…?" Lenalee asked. The tired red, brown eyes looked over the girl, and the said man sighed.

"You seem happy today," Cross brought himself to Lenalee's level, looking at her straight in the eye. "Now, I understand that you've just remembered my idiot apprentice. So please calm down."

"Y-yes… sir…" She still sniffled a bit, and she bowed her head. "General… I-I'm sorry…"

"It's all fine," Cross got up. "I was expecting this would happen."

He then turned to the crowd still waiting at the door as he walked out while Winry entered the room herself with Road. Lavi was suddenly getting a rising feeling that Cross really did get softer, that is until…

"Now what are you people doing here?" He barked in a hotheaded manner. "Go back to work!"

Several scientists squeaked and run for their lives downstairs. The Exorcists and Komui were left still standing in front of the General.

"Ah, Komui," Cross frowned. "Haven't seen you in ages…"

"Cross…" Komui flatly answered back, and reached into his pockets. "I was going to hand this back to you when we would meet again."

He withdrew a black leather holster form his pocket, and tossed it to the General, who caught it expertly. Cross stared at it, and scowled.

"I'm not going to Fall, right?" He warily asked. Komui shook his head.

"You didn't do anything," the Supervisor reasoned. "I guess you're just paranoid when you got shot by-"

"That little brat called Envy?"

Everyone could his fingers twitch in irritation. Ed looked at his own master, Roy, who seemed unfazed, but the glint in his black eyes were visible as Komui left them to see Lenalee. Envy… Ed thought… now who would that be?

**A/N: I was planning to write Lenalee's angst chapter in a different way. What happened originally was that they returned to the Black Order, not move to the silver Shield, and Al presents to everyone Timcampy, which he found back at Laboratory Five. He mentions Allen's name, and then Lenalee takes Timcampy and runs out, as her memories floor her mind. Then everyone surrounds, and Link suddenly appears, making Lenalee even angrier, but Komui reluctantly uses his special sleeping darts on his sister, who afterwards falls unconscious. That was what could have happened, but I didn't feel like strecthing this story longer than it should be, because I agree that Allen needs to be back in action asap. Even though he did get his own spotlight for a chapter and a half, I think it's about time he shows up in the following arc, which is going to be pretty interesting.**

**Preview: Chapter 22 - The Stormy Night  
**

**Lenalee has recovered from her memory of Allen, and she is resolved to find him as soon as possible. Roy and Leverrier work together for once to pinpoint the location using Timcampy. Alphonse and Ed find Izumi and exchange words about Allen Walker, seeing if she knew anything about the 14th's motives. The Shield plans to head out to the location the next day, so the place is bustling. Road is worried about her half-brother. Hoeinheim and Link take the stage again, having had sped their way to London. On the night before, Kanda and Alphonse talk about Allen and wonder what Allen would be like when they finally find him.  
**


	22. Backs in the Distance

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 22 – Backs in the Distance**

* * *

Timcampy followed its previous owner, excitedly fluttering about the air around his head. Cross sighed in exasperation.

"Tim, you're going to make me dizzy."

It stopped, and landed on his shoulder instead. Cross slipped his hand into his pocket, feeling the holster of his Judgment. He had decided not to defend himself against that Envy person when he could have drawn his gun, so he abandoned his Innocence to avoid any complications. Too bad it came back to him anyways…

* * *

"Now that Lenalee has calmed down," Roy sighed. "We'll need to bring Timcampy back to the office with us?"

Seeing everyone's questioning looks, he continued. "Since Timcampy does belong to Allen Walker, we'll be able to use this golem as a system to locate Allen. I believe that since the name has been presented to Timcampy, the password to all data information has been opened now."

"So that's the reason why CROW didn't allow any mention of Allen," Komui frowned. "They were afraid somehow Timcampy would hear it and tell everyone. They knew Timcampy had stowed away with Lenalee when she left Central to see Allen. Leverrier probably believed that Allen ordered Timcampy to go with her."

Roy bit his lip upon the mention of the other High Inspector. An uneasiness welled over him as a thought of discord would erupt between the Exorcists and CROW when they found they would work together really soon…

"That's not really true," Lavi added, contradicting Komui's words. "Timcampy does have a mind of its own, after all. It probably understood the situation and went off with it."

They all silently took the elevator to ground floor, reaching Roy's office. And the first thing Roy expected to occur…

"L…Leverrier…" Komui stuttered at the tight-lipped officer from Central. The said man set down his cup of tea, nodded at the crowd. The subordinates at Roy's office were writing more furiously, fearing the rising tension between the Supervisor and High Inspector. Roy walked right between, straight to his desk, while Ed, Alphonse, and Riza took a stand beside their superior, leaving Kanda, Lavi, Road, and Komui to sit at the couch… reluctantly next to Leverrier. Road squirmed in discomfort as she felt accusing eyes from Leverrier…

"Before we start pointing any fingers," Roy's eyebrows furrowed. "I will have to explain the entire story."

Lavi and Kanda held their breaths, fearing what might the news be.

"Leverrier came here to tell me to put off the search for Allen Walker." Roy announced, and Lavi jumped from his seat, but Roy silenced him before the redhead could say another word.

"The reason why," Roy continued. "is because Leverrier wants me to work with him to find Allen Walker. Presumably, Allen was missing from the CROW facilities, and Central had announced that Allen was being taken to another Inspector to quicken the interrogation procedure, since they believed Leverrier took too long. The only Inspector that would be allowed to do that is Inspector Bradley."

Ed began to shake uncontrollably, but Riza steadied him. Of course, he would forget Bradley. The man was the nicest person in his brother's perspective, but when the warm brown eyes were set on Ed himself, they turned cold, drawing blood from his soul. The older Elric was the most resembling son of the Eastern Sage, and he suspected that Bradley despised his father.

"Therefore," Roy interrupted Ed's thoughts. "I don't want any complaints. Since the Exorcists residing the Shield have been transferred to my jurisdiction, I strictly enforce this. Leverrier will do the same with his CROW, right?"

Black eyes flitted to the man, who nodded, wordless.

"We'll start now," Roy lifted his hand, and Timcampy, who had been perched on Alphonse's head, sat on the hand. "Timcampy, please project the map of Allen's location."

"Wait…" Lavi asked. "Where's Cross? He was just here, wasn't he? Why isn't he here?"

"He's training," Roy sighed. "The guy probably got rusty again with Judgment. I sent Olivia to oversee his progress. We need him on top notch as soon as possible. He already gave me precise instructions on how Timcampy works."

The golden golem's mouth opened wide, and an intangible screen appeared, showing a topographic map, indicating a small range of hills. Everyone paused, staring at the screen as it increased, filling the whole side of the room. Falman had stopped his work, and began furiously writing down coordinates, and finally finished with a surprised gasp.

"I've found it, sir," He declared, he passed the papers to Breda, who had conveniently walked by and was heading for Roy's desk anyways, and handed the information to Roy. The black haired man perused the calculations, and looked at the anxious group.

"Fortunately, the process was not too hard," He smiled. "Allen Walker is not too far from here. Road."

The addressed girl stood up, and Roy nodded. "Can you use the Ark to transport us to the location?"

"Yes," She nodded, still nervous from the gaze of the Central Inspector on the sofa. Roy turned to everyone else.

"We'll be off tomorrow morning. No exceptions. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," A chorus of voices echoed, and with Roy's glance at Riza, she ordered the personnel at the desks to leave, leaving the Exorcists behind.

"As for the details," Roy continued. "I'll have you personally hear it from Leverrier himself. Now, Leverrier, please do tell us what your plans to do with Allen were?"

Leverrier twitched slightly before turning eyes on everyone. Inwardly, he was glad Lenalee wasn't around just yet.

"The Central Command wanted to exterminate Allen Walker," He started. "And remove his Innocence for other purposes. However, we Inspectors thought otherwise."

Lavi jumped at the first idea, but settled down to the second.

"Despite the fact that our procedures were different," Leverrier went on. "We wanted to balance the Noah and Exorcist in Allen. That way, we can get a bigger advantage in the field. However, Central kept close eyes on us as I handled Walker. You may think I had deliberately done horrible things to Walker, but I did not order those public beatings. To keep my word, I kept my true intention secret…

"Ever since then, I had been trying my best to keep Allen as comfortable as possible when Central does not come. Sadly, he's been in critical condition recently, and I am astonished that he's gone out of the facility. Therefore, Central must have found out about my plans, and took Walker without my notice."

Lavi could see the Inspector asking for forgiveness. The conflicted minds in the Bookman's head whirled about, wondering whether to say something pleasant or opposite.

"We understand," An unexpected voice stopped further action. "If you were trying, then we'll rest our case."

All eyes turned on Kanda, who was frowning as usual, but a more confident air enveloped him. To think he would be the more nicer one was scary, but Mustang shook it off.

"I'll repeat my orders again," He continued. "We leave first thing tomorrow. Now, I'll dismiss you all, and get as much sleep as possible."

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Ed…" Lavi's voice caused Ed to sit up in bed. "You think Allen will be in one piece?"

Ed frowned. He couldn't guarantee that… Of course Allen would be hurt… but the fear of the poor boy losing an arm, or a leg, too… just like Ed himself. He turned to the redhead, and smiled.

"He'll be okay," Ed lied. "I'm sure Al will be able to help him. Maybe Miranda can join, too."

"All right…" A relief washed over Lavi as the two settled back into their respective beds, falling asleep.

* * *

"Kanda… you okay?" Al asked.

"Fine," Kanda laid himself back on the bed again, staring blankly at the wall. If he just kept staring, he would fall asleep eventually. But then again, this is Alphonse asking, and Kanda knew he could not avoid the boy's ability to read minds.

"Was it a nightmare?" Al broke the silence. "I felt a disturbance when I was trying to fall asleep."

"Somewhat…" Kanda trailed off.

"Who's Alma and that lady in your dreams?" Al changed topics. "They seem pretty important to you. Have you met them before?"

Kanda hesitated, pondering on his answer. "Alma… I know him, and the lady, she's only been in my dreams."

"Alma…" Al tried the strange name on his tongue again. "Is he… a friend? I mean, tell me."

A small but quick intake of breath came from the Japanese samurai as he thought about answering more carefully.

"He was… before…"

Kanda narrated a rather short story about his part in the Second Exorcist Project, and Alphonse listened. As he finished, a silence lay between them for a few seconds, before Alphonse got up.

"You shouldn't be bottling yourself up, Kanda," He faced the man lying down.

"Your point?"

Al hugged his knees to his chest, burying his chin on his knees. "You should at least tell someone you trust. Does anyone know about this? Your tattoo?"

"The sister complex knows, General Tiedoll… and most of the science team," Kanda muttered. "Hell, even Winry knows."

"No, not those people!" Al palmed his face. "I meant the Exorcists, the ones you usually go around with, like Lavi, or Lenalee."

"So far, only one," Kanda answered. "He kept begging me to tell him, one time, I told him so he could stop bugging me."

"It couldn't be Allen Walker, could it?" Al asked, and Kanda looked at Al, who wasn't looking at him, but the closet.

"Yes, it was the bean sprout."

"His reaction," Al guessed. "He sympathized with you."

"Of course that idiot did," Kanda scowled. "He should stop forgetting to take care of himself. If he's going to help anyone else, he should look out for himself. Do you know how many times he's injured himself because of that? I remember I had to talk to him about that on a mission one time. He actually listened."

"You're funny," Al smiled. "I wonder why Allen argued with you a lot. You're actually a pretty nice guy."

"The bean sprout and I only fight when everyone else is around," Kanda continued to stare at the ceiling above them. "Whenever we're by ourselves, we get along. He's probably one of the only people who have seen me this talkative."

"Was one of the other people Alma?" Al asked. Kanda nodded.

"But I think spoke a lot more to Allen than Alma," Kanda mused.

"You and Allen are brothers, sort of," Al added. "Just like brother and me, but not biologically."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, has anyone told you that both of you are similar?"

"Marie had," Kanda answered. "During a training practice. The same happened with Allen."

"Yeah… he's right…" Al nodded. "Since you two understand each other, it's easier for you tolerate him, and vice versa. As for everyone else, they had troubles, too, but not as serious as any of you two. That's the reason why I think you two seem like brothers. I haven't seen Allen for years, but he probably changed little."

A silence sat between them, and Al turned to face the long haired Exorcist.

"Do you see Allen as a brother?" Al asked.

"No," Kanda answered sharply.

"A friend?"

"Somewhat."

"Then that's good."

Kanda looked at the young Elric, puzzled by the remark.

"Your point?"

Al smiled under the dim light. "I mean, Allen would be happy to know you do actually care."

"Me? The beansprout?" Kanda disapproved of the idea. "I will hate that brat for all my life."

Al laughed softly.

"Have it your way, then…"

* * *

Morning came, and everyone had obeyed Mustang's orders. All the Exorcists were lined up, uniformed properly (save for Ed, who found more comfort in his trademark long coat and black shirt and pants). Each exorcist was given a tan coat, for the cold weather. The Shield members were also ready. Roy walked down the two aisles of Exorcists and Shields, putting on a dark tone of determinations. Komui and Leverrier followed behind him closely.

"Let's go," Roy grimaced, slipping on his gloves. Road was standing before him, and she placed a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes.

The nostalgic lullaby echoed in the foyer, and a door, just like the one Allen made a year ago, rose from the floor. Purple neon numbers glowed "27" as Roy turned to the Exorcists.

"We're off." He declared.

Lavi was excited. He would find Allen. He would find him…

Kanda was wondering just what the beansprout would feel when they met again…

Lenalee was ecstatic, but nonetheless, melancholic. Allen had been beaten up badly when she saw him… she hoped Allen was fine…

Ed and Al were very anxious to board the Ark. Izumi had given them a talk about patience this morning, and she was just behind him, grimacing at the gate.

Allen was so near… and the time was now…

* * *

Envy grinned watching from Wisely's eyes the scene unraveling. The Earl smiled nastily, wanting to see more bloodshed. The Exorcists were going to struggle again. And this time they were going to get the precious 14th back… Meanwhile, the Eastern Sage and his accomplice were racing furiously cross country to England. At the same time…

"Can we stir something up, yet, Adam?" Envy purred, but the Earl shook his head.

"Not yet," The smile stayed. "I want to see for myself the new chapter. I don't feel like participating today."

The Noah nodded in accord, watching the eyes.

"Good luck… Allen Walker…" A nasty voice drawled. "Your death awaits."

* * *

Dorian was panting from the wounds he received. He looked up, seeing the sky crack like a clay pot. A welling panic filled him as he got up his feet suddenly, and he stared at the white tower ahead. He would not let Bradley get away with this. Staggering, he trotted down the destroyed path, limping as he went.

The sky was blood red, and he frowned. Red… Dorian didn't like the sky today… The red… meant that the inward world was straight on the path of collapsing, and he ran faster. He, Dorian Gray Walker, would not let his adopted nephew down. He would not let betray Mana's wishes, or his, even.

Persistent… Persistent.

He could feel outside that more people were coming his way, and he kept running… and running… and running...

"Ah, screw it!" The 14th jumped high into the sky, perching on the roof, and taking off onto another, at full speed, and flash-stepped to the tower. He must go before the bell rang…

* * *

A motionless body was lying on the floor, eyes closed, and lips in a tight line. The straitjacket was too tight… Allen couldn't take it… An eerie smile looked from above, and he twitched. A low moan from his mouth was muffled by the collar that was wrapped about his mouth.

"Now, Destroyer of Time…" Bradley frowned. "Your mind will break, and I will rebuild the pieces once more. Your sanctuary is done for, and the 14th will be no more… Central will be pleased that I've gotten rid of you…"

Allen gasped as the terrible man planted his sword aside the wall, and the man approached him himself, cracking knuckles as he went.

"You will never sleep…" Bradley took a step. "And never wake."

Allen couldn't move… by fear or his injuries, he didn't care anymore.

He had waited for too long… No one came for him… Leverrier had helped him live… Link had encouraged to brave the harsh beatings… Lenalee had come to see him, but was wiped of any thought of his existence… and everyone he's come to know… were looking for him, but were found efforts fruitless…

"Oh, please," Bradley smiled, towering over the limp figure. "Don't make that face. I'll get even angrier. You know how much I don't pity strong people like yourself… I like weak people, so I can order them to do my bidding…"

Weak… Allen was weak… but he was strong… his hopes were high… his confidence was weakening… his fatigue was disappearing…

The gag came loose, and Allen could breathe again. Fierce silver eyes flashed dangerously.

"Try me. I dare you."

**A/N: Yay! Allen's in again! And he's back! Root for Allen! And, as for pairing issues, this will be AllenXLenalee all the way through. I known some people are not big fans of it, but... But... I've thought about it, and I've decided a solutions. Once this is finished, I'll be posting a remake of this story. I'm not taking this one down and replacing, but I'll post a new story. It will follow the same plot, but as a special story, it will be from Kanda's point of view, and the pairing will be Yullen. but then again, I absolutely do not write yaoi, so I will have to make a twist to keep my word. And what's the twist? That'll be announced next chapter! Review!**


	23. Lion's Roar

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 23 – Lion's Roar**

_

* * *

"Teacher!" Alphonse shouted, and Izumi smiled, patting the teen's head._

_ "I see you've brought some Exorcists from the Order into the premises…" she sternly turned to Ed, who didn't alter his steely gaze. Izumi had despised the Order, and she joined the Shield instead specifically for that reason. Ed and Roy had tried to convince her to have more mercy, but of course, nothing stops the Spartan housewife._

_ "Anyways," She smiled, and grabbed both boys into a deep hug. "It's nice to have you back."_

_ The two Elric brothers smiled, blushing red at her touch._

_ "I understand that we're leaving first thing tomorrow." She recapped. "Havoc told me little, but I want to advise you on something."_

_ "What is it, Teacher?"_

_ "Patience." She sat down, drumming the armrest of her chair in the lounge. "Since Allen Walker will not be the same when we do find him. I want to warn you before we go. I've heard Roy and your plans to help the child, but still, it will be difficult…"_

_ "Teacher…" Al smiled. "You're always telling us to be careful…"_

_ "If I didn't , then you'd be in your grave by now, idiots!" Izumi snarled, and her face softened._

_ "Anyways, take caution."_

* * *

Everyone gasped at the state of the Ark. The world was in utter ruins, destroyed, and toppled. The sky remained blue, the tower was almost close to shambles anyways.

"Wha… happened?" Lavi muttered.

"The Ark originally belonged to the 14th," Ed answered. "Therefore, the Ark acts empathically with the 14th's emotions."

"From what I see," Roy continued. "The Ark is not in good shape."

Lenalee gasped, ready to tremble. "That… doesn't mean…"

"Easy," Al smiled. "Allen isn't down yet. If he were, then we would not be able to open the Ark at all!"

The emerald haired girl sighed, breathing deeply to calm herself. Road watched her new friend and glanced at Al. His face seemed worried, but confident that the mission would go well. His fingers were so close to hers, and almost intertwining.

"You okay, Road?" Al asked, and the close hands met, knotted together. Road flushed red slightly.

"I'm fine…" She looked away. "Like you said, Allen is okay, right?"

Ed heard these conversations about him. He hated hearing hopes and dreams, when they were half-sure of being fulfilled. He wanted real facts, like what scientists craved for. He wanted a truth. He wanted to have a sure fact that Allen would be fine.

He looked at Kanda. He was glad Kanda kept to himself. They were quite alike, those two. They didn't want to worry anyone, and they wanted real facts. He looked to General Cross, who was walking beside Mustang. From what he recalled, the two were best friends when they were the new Exorcists of the Order. The redhead said nothing, for he probably wanted a sure truth, too…

"We'll be getting more manpower when we get there," Roy announced, looking over his shoulder as he spoke. "I've sent golem signals for a good amount of help."

"Okay, got it," Ed sighed. He looked at his automail right arm, covered by his red robes and white glove. Winry had given more strength to the metal last night, and he was eager to test its durability. Speaking of which, he changed his subject to Winry. The boy wondered what she was doing now… where she was…

"Oi, shorty," Kanda reminded Ed. "Stop daydreaming, because you're about to run into a pole."

Sure enough, Ed was one or two centimeters away from the said lamppost, and he scowled at the cursed thing.

"Thanks," Ed bitterly replied, sidling around it to continue.

* * *

They stepped out of the silver-white gate, labeled 59, and landed down to the stable ground. Roy scanned the area, while his team were arming themselves. Ed sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, which was aching a bit that day. They were in a thick forest

"Hey," Kanda looked at Roy. "Where's the extras you called in?"

"Here, sir," A familiar voice caught everyone's attention, and Roy's lips curved into a smile.

A young tanned girl with a Shield uniform was steadily standing, saluting to her superiors. Her brown hair was tied into a small bun, and her olive green eyes beamed. Behind her was several other people.

First was a Chinese man who wore a black, sleeveless button-up shirt, his jet black hair tied into a small ponytail on the back of his head. The second was a woman with her black hair in a bun, and she wore a Shield uniform as well. The third, the shortest of them all, was a young girl with braided and bunned pigtails, wearing a small version of the Shield uniform, too. The final two, were a couple, both tanned and brown haired, and wearing Shield uniforms.

Lavi and Ed's eyes bugged out at the sight of the saluting girl, who immediately lost her temper and proceeded to smack them square in the face.

"It's me, you idiots!" She shouted. "Claire!"

"Claire!" Al smiled. "So you're Claire!"

"Yo," The new man waved. "Forgetting someone?"

"Hey, Ling!" Al smiled, exchanging fists. "So, have you been training?"

"Yeah, lots!"

Ling looked at Kanda, who stared at him indifferently.

"Oh, hey, Kanda!" He smiled, and the Japanese samurai snorted and walked away.

"He's intent on the mission," Al explained. "Can't stop him now…"

"And who's this?" Ed asked his brother, pointing to the two others.

"It's my wife, Lan Fan," Ling explained. "And my little sister, May Chan, remember? They've joined the Shield."

"But aren't they-"

"Trust me," Ling gave them a dangerous look. "You'll know how deadly they are when they get into battle."

"And Rose!" Lenalee smiled. "Welcome back! You, too Ryan!"

"Thank you…" they both smiled reassuringly.

"Are the introductions done yet?" Olivia scowled, and everyone went back on track.

* * *

"To think someone would hide in a fortress this big and easy to find…" Roy sweatdropped. "And we couldn't find it until a year later… Damn, we're so stupid…"

Everyone looked up at a large castle, towering fifty above their heads. All most people could do was drop their jaws…

"Let's get going!" Izumi complained. "I can't wait any longer!"

"You may not pass…"

All eyes were set on a lone man who stood before the doorway. Now why hadn't they seen him before?

"I am High Inspector Roy Mustang," Roy exclaimed. "By the order of the Pope, I require a meeting with the High Inspector Brad-"

"I'm sorry," the guard cut him with a monotonous answer. "I cannot allow any trespassers in. Now please forget this place and depart immediately."

Ed's fingers twitched. _Damn guard… Does he even know what's going on inside this stupid castle?_

"This is an order of the Pope," Roy asserted. "Surely, you cannot be in an act against him, are you?"

"My orders are clear," the guard replied. "Only Sir Bradley can command my will-"

A metal arm was slammed on his head, and Ed swiftly dusted his hands on his coat. Alphonse sweatdropped in embarrassment, and all the Exorcists dropped jaws, shocked at Ed's way of dealing with people.

"What?" He asked them nonchalantly. "He didn't shut up."

Ed headed to the gate, and was about to perform alchemy to open it. Then Lavi began to panic, but Ed didn't notice him.

"E…E-e-e-e-e-eddd!"

"What, now Lavi?" Ed's eyebrow raised. "Can't you see we need to get in?"

"M-m-m-m-monster!" several people shouted.

"Huh?" Ed sighed. "You're mumbling…"

"Brother…" Ed heard Al's quavering voice. "There's a monster right next to us…"

Ed scowled, turning around, not noticing the towering shadow cast over his small figure.

"Are you just playing around with…"

He looked at a pair of big giant feet, the size of trash can lids, and his eyes trailed up, noticing a large abdomen, the size of tractor, a gigantic set of hands and finally the face, grotesquely warped, and two angry red eyes staring down. Ed's face lost his color, and his pride seemed to have melted from his now shaking legs.

"Oh, shit…"

"Idiot pupil!"

A flying stone fist was flung at the monster's head, hitting it square on the head. Ed blinked, shocked at the sudden scene.

"Hurry up!" Izumi called him, using alchemy to fling him at the now opening door. "Get in! I'll deal with this monster!"

"Sloth, that's his name," Olivia Armstrong identified the monster, joining Izumi. "From my observations, I believe he is the fastest of Bradley's crew."

Her brother, Alex, stood beside, offering to stay behind. She frowned. "And we order you to keep going!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Lenalee shouted back as the group of Exorcists continued down the ramp.

* * *

"I am Lust," The lady smiled, drawing out her clawed fingers. "And I serve only under Bradley, and no other."

The massive excuse of a person beside the woman chewed angrily, and its large beady eyes were inching towards the group.

"This is Gluttony," Lust gestured.

"What kind of people…" Lavi stuttered, but Roy silenced him. Riza drew out her guns and was ready to fire. Claire did the same, prompting the rest of Roy's team to follow. Roy took the front line, ready to face the despicable pair.

"You kids go on ahead," He shouted. "We'll deal with them here."

Ed coldly nodded, and went on ahead, leaving a puzzled Lavi and Lenalee to go after him. Kanda and Alphonse understood, but were immediately shoved by Cross to hurry.

A quiet chuckle came from Lust, and Gluttony's mouth was watering at the sight of so many humans. She didn't really mind the "weak" Exorcists rushing by her into the door. She assumed Bradley would finish them… Such a shame…

"Can I eat them, Lust?" It pleaded. "Can I?"

"Oh, feel free," Lust smiled. "Just save some for our other friends…"

"Friends…?" Ling paled. "There's more?"

"Oh, yes, big boy," Lust answered. "They've just arrived…"

The windows shattered simultaneously as masses of strange creatures flowed into the room, screeching and flailing. They were bodies, pale white corpses, each with only one eye at the supposed forehead. Ribcages were visible, and legs they walked were robotic, unfeeling…

The startled team backed closer into each other, nervous of the strange army of mutant humans… or monsters…

"An immortal army," Lust explained. "While a young and foolish Inspector like you was on a wild goose chase, Bradley decided to do a little more research into the alchemy. He was able to get into your secret archive of alchemy documents… and here we have the army we want. They can't be defeated by normal bullets, so shoot wisely."

"We'll see about that…" Roy smirked, snapping his fingers.

* * *

"Timcampy, go faster!" Cross shouted. "We're catching up…"

The poor golem was fluttering as fast as possible, while everyone had other problems on their minds. Lavi was still horrified of the three strange creatures or humans he saw… Lenalee seemed pale from the sight of Gluttony, while Kanda was even more concerned about how they came to be. Alphonse, Cross, Road, and Ed seemed unfazed by the monsters from earlier, since they were more worried about how Allen was faring.

They had climbed down a flight of spiraling stairways, and Lavi, ironically, was feeling dizzy. They arrived in a dimly-lit dungeon corridor, and Cross grabbed a hanging lamp, and pointed to the now illuminated door.

"This way," He commanded, seeing Timcampy had went that way.

It was long before they saw a bright light at the end of hall. This prompted to run faster and faster…

The blinding white light came from a slightly more well-lit room, but the room was large, comparable to the one Lust and Gluttony had been in, but there were no windows, but a large hole in the center of the room for the sun to shine through.

General Cross drew out Judgment, and aimed carefully at some target the younger Exorcists couldn't see. He fired, and a strange rippled in the targeted area alerted everyone of the presence of an invisible enemy.

"What was that?" Lenalee gasped, and Cross shot again, hitting another rippling air. He shot again finally a figure blurred into view.

"What the-" Kanda was cut off by a strong gust of wind coming from the strange person. Everyone shielded their faces to avoid dust. Then the floor began to crumble under their feet, and they instantly fell through with the rubble. Ed did some quick thinking and used a stray falling boulder to create a mechanism for safe landing.

"I didn't expect you to come this far…"

A voice echoed in their ears, and Cross bolted straight up.

"Show yourself."

"Very well."

Out stepped a middle aged man, in good shape, actually. His dark brown hair was sleeked back, and his left eye was covered by a black eyepatch. Cold eyes stared at the team, and the man drew two swords from the scabbards hanging from his back.

"High Inspector Bradley."

He recognized two people… the Elric brothers…

"Oh… Elrics… It's nice to see you, Alphonse… And I see that you're here… Edward Elric…"

Ed gritted his teeth… Never would he forgive…

* * *

_ "Edward, this is High Inspector Bradley," Roy smiled encouragingly at the young boy. Ed had just finished rehabilitation with his automail, and he was still a little wobbly with walking. Al was with Izumi all the way in Spain, while he and Roy had to come to Central at Vatican City for a meeting._

_ "Bradley?"_

_ "Yes," Roy nodded. "Well, I'm off…"_

_ Ed and Bradley were left alone sitting on the bench._

_ "So your full name is Edward Elric?" Bradley finally spoke. Ed looked at the tall man. Wondering if a good conversation would suffice his boredom, Ed grinned._

_ "Yep." He chimed, but immediately Bradley shot from his seat, taking Ed by the collar with him. The hands moved to the small neck, and Ed was petrified by the man's actions._

_ "It's shameful…" Bradley smiled. "To be the son of a man who destroyed the pride of our cause, and to more people just like him… unforgivable… Your father killed a lot of people, and don't forget that…"_

_ "K-Killed…?" Ed stammered, but he was dropped back on the bench._

_ "Incorrigible…" Bradley muttered. Ed massaged his sore neck, as the man walked away. Ed hugged his knees, waiting for his teacher to come back. An hour passed, and Roy was right before him, smiling warmly._

_ "You were scared, Ed? Where's Bradley?"_

_ "I… don't Ed…"_

_ Roy looked about, and was drawn back to the boy when…_

_ "Roy…" Ed whimpered. Roy looked at his "son" and noticed the bruise marks on his neck. Now where did those came from?_

_ "Ed…" Roy helped the boy up and walked down the hall, wondering just who had done this. Ed told no one, and was placed under the pressure of the third High Inspector's cold eyes._

* * *

Cross snapped Ed of his thoughts when he shoved the boy right into Lenalee and Kanda. Alphonse drew his knives, ready to battle, while Road twirled her ribbon. Lavi enlarged his hammer. Kanda was already taking them into a chamber.

"You three get moving!" Cross snarled. "We don't have much time."

"Brother, go!" Al shouted.

"Alphonse!" Ed shouted. But Lenalee pulled him away, taking him further into the chamber with Kanda. He heard cries and clashing of sword and daggers with minor fire explosions. Kanda scowled. He hated this type of noise, and he hoped the idiot rabbit would finish the battle soon.

"Come on!" Kanda urged them, and they snapped out of their individual thoughts, and broke into run.

* * *

Kanda only saw one door, and he forcefully barged into it, the poor wooden slab falling off its steel hinges. Lenalee and Ed followed closely behind him. Several dying lamps lit the chamber. Kanda squinted at a strange form that had been dangling from the wall. Ed did not hesitate to clap his hands and transmute the form off the wall. The figure fell with a sickening thump, and Lenalee was rushing to his side.

Kanda grabbed a lamp and looked over the body, while Ed was making his way there slowly. The poor thing was not awake, his eyes closed. The clothes were tattered like hell, and the hair was soot gray, stringy, matted with red, and the black left arm… oh… this was obvious… Lenalee's lower lip twitched as she stopped herself from crying.

"It's him…" she whispered. "It's Allen…"

Ed knelt down on the other side of Allen, seeing the boy's pale face.

"Hm…" Ed thought aloud. "I'm not that into medical stuff like Al, but obviously he hasn't had any sleep, and he's been starved and abused, too. But there's one odd thing…"

"What?" Kanda looked at the boy impatiently.

"I have a feeling we won't be able to move him just yet." Ed clapped his hands together. "I need to check something before we carry him out."

The hands pressed together formed a strange blue glow, and Lenalee looked at Fullmetal with some fear of what he was going to do. Ed closed his eyes, and placed his hands a few inches from Allen's face.

"Grab onto me," He commanded the two other Exorcists. "You'll need to come with me."

Kanda and Lenalee had absolutely no idea what Ed was talking about, but they did so anyways. Lenalee held onto Ed's arm, and Kanda, with reluctance of even touching Ed, grasped the boy's hood.

A course of electricity ran through their veins as Kanda and Lenalee faded into unconsciousness themselves.

* * *

Roy and his subordinates stood in a charred room, with only ash, and no other foe. Lust and Gluttony were no longer standing, a pile of black dust in their place. Roy pocketed his hands, and walked through the door Ed had gone through, his team not so far behind.

As he entered, he felt a strange sensation of trepidation befalling him. What was this feeling? He could perceive a bad event ahead, but he felt… worried about Ed. The boy must be doing something risky, and this thought speeded up his footsteps.

Ed must be performing a channeling, probably, so that explains the strange feeling. But who in the world would he need to do that for?

* * *

Kanda's eyes fluttered open, and he saw a blood-red sky, staring straight at him. He heard the flustered sounds of a waking Lenalee. He sat up, massaging his head. Had he fallen headfirst?

Ed was already up, surveying the surroundings. Kanda joined the boy, reaching a hill of junk. The surroundings were just so familiar… What? This was the Ark? Everything was almost the same… the white buildings, and the tall bell tower, but the only problem was the ruin and despair that fell on this town.

"What is this place?" Kanda asked. Edward frowned.

"This is Allen's mind." He pointed to the red sky. "It has been in chaos for far too long. Anything we do will strain his body, if we're reckless, that is."

"What did you do?" asked Lenalee.

"This is called channeling," Ed explained. "It's one of the abilities of the Eastern Sage, my father. Al can channel, too, but not nearly as great as I am… Probably because the Sage's power was distributed between us, and I got the big bite from my father's ability to channel."

Kanda heard the bitter note in "father."

"Channeling allows me to enter a person's mental realm," Ed continued. "And communicate with them here. Usually, channeling is easier when the person is asleep. I can also bring other people's consciousness along with me, like how I've channeled you into Allen's head."

Ed looked up at the sky again. "The problem here, is that there seems to be a set time limit on this one."

"You mean…" Kanda realized. "Allen's breaking?"

"Mental instability," Ed suggested. "Damn. I guess Bradley was intent on breaking Allen completely: breaking both mental and physical state, literally."

"What's the time limit?" Lenalee asked, and Ed examined the sky.

"Five hours, at most." He answered, and Lenalee bit her lip anxiously. Good thing they were really close to the bell tower. As long as they climb all the way up…

"Well, then," Kanda scowled, drawing his Mugen. "What are we waiting for? Let's get moving!"

"Hold on, Kanda," Ed sighed. "Don't let temper get the hang of you."

"Wha-"

"Someone's coming," Ed cut him off, seeing a leaping black figure approaching them. The newcomer landed before them, seeing their astonished faces. Gran skin triggered the animosity of the three of them… Noah… His shirt had probably seen better days, that's for sure… His dark brown hair was really messy, and his narrow golden eyes flitted to each Exorcist.

"Exorcists, huh…" the man stood up straight, folding his arms. "I suppose you came to stop Bradley."

"Y-You…" Kanda growled. "What are you doing here, Noah?"

"I'm the 14th," The man bowed. "Dorian Gray Walker."

"Walker…?" Lenalee recognized that as Allen's last name. "Are you looking for Allen, too?"

"Of course I am!" the 14th sighed. "I need to protect the being of my vessel, you know."

"I see," Ed spoke up, and Dorian noticed him.

"Did you channel these kids here, Hoeinheim?" Dorian asked, and Ed snarled.

"I'm not Hoeinheim, idiot!" Ed snapped. "That's my good-for-nothing father!"

"He had kids?" Dorian looked shocked. "Didn't think he'd settle down…"

Ed then turned around, followed by Kanda.

"We have no time for conversations," Ed gravely replied. "Dorian, how many hours do we have before Allen breaks? I need exact timing."

"Five." Dorian grimaced. "And we'll have to climb the stairs that takes a good half hour."

"That's nothing," Ed laughed. "I'll use alchemy and send us shooting up to the top. Does that sound good? None of you are afraid of heights, right?"

"Keep moving, short stack," Kanda grunted, shoving Ed at full speed.

**A/N: phantomdare1 is back! I'm sorry over the late update. I'm incredibly sorry. And I'm happy and sad. Good news: I'm working on this video thingy for this story, and it's going really well. If I have time, I'll be able to finish this video project in August. I also started playing Phoenix Wright so I'm so hooked on it. I'm so shocked that Phoenix lost his badge (weep... I hate Klavier Gavin... And I could've liked him, if he wasn't the guy who made Phoenix lose his badge). And I still am sad that Edgeworth and Gumshoe did not appear in Apollo Justice. And sadly Maya was in her village during Apollo Justice. Even worse... Bad news: I'm in despair! OneManga is shutting down in a few weeks! It's a tragedy! Well, anyways, away from the tangent...**

**Firstly, the situation about the upcoming Yullen version of this story. Since I really have to keep to my word about never ever posting any boyXboy stories, I have decided on this "twist." If I make Allen a girl, then it'll fit with my rules, I guess, but that's as far as I will ever go when it comes to writing about pairings like Yullen. How will the world be when Allen is a girl will be kept secret for now.  
**

**Second, the preview: Chapter 24: The Crown That Falters: The five hour clock begins to tick. Hour 1: Lenalee and Kanda reluctantly allies with the 14th Noah to follow Ed to the bell tower of the Ark in Allen's mind. Hour 2: Izumi and the Armstrongs deal the finishing blow to Sloth. Hour 3: Roy begins his showdown with Bradley once he realizes how much abuse Bradley has secretly done to Ed. Hour 4: Hoeinheim and Link search for the Silver Shield, only to run into a certain blue haired supervisor. Hour 5: The Destroyer of Time wakes once more.  
**


	24. The Crown That Falters

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 24 – The Crown That Falters**

* * *

"Take this!" Izumi sent a row of massive stone arrows hurtling at the monster, and the weapons ripped through it, leaving large holes in its body. However, the body reconstructed itself, and it was unscathed, again.

Olivia grit her teeth in frustration. All the monster did was zoom straight in their direction and blow them off course. They hadn't made any progress, either. Her excuse of a brother Armstrong was already knocked out, since Sloth had hit him on full force. Her sword probably had no chance of slicing it, if Innocence was unable to affect it… unless.

"Izumi!" She shouted. "Keep using Alchemy! It's got to have some limit!"

"You don't need to say twice!" Izumi clapped her hands together again.

Lavi sank down on one knee. This guy's sword fighting surpassed Yuu's! No joke! Bradley seemed to be enjoying himself, smiling at the fact that none of the attacks were working a single bit.

Cross was probably the only one closest to leaving a mark on the man, but failed miserably after being slashed in the shoulder. Alphonse had exited the battlefield to tend to Cross's wounds, and the healing process took longer than usual. At this point, Cross was usually the type to complain, but he didn't talk. He waited patiently as Alphonse strained himself.

Road was easily dispatched and was already dizzy on her feet. Bradley found an opportunity to finish the girl until a large burst of fire had made him jump away. Lavi took the chance of confusion to drag Road out, and see Roy Mustang facing Bradley.

_

* * *

Roy and his team reached the large black room where Ed and his friends had fallen through, but Roy stopped Hawkeye from leading the team any further._

"_You guys stay here," Roy headed for the large hole in the ground. "It's best that you wait for the Armstrongs and Izumi to catch up."_

"_But sir-" Riza objected, but Roy raised a hand, stopping her from talking._

"_It's an order."_

_With a quick step, the General was plummeting into the next level below. Riza faced the rest of the crew._

"_Okay," She barked out orders. "You heard him!"_

* * *

"You four," Roy ordered the four Exorcists. "Go after Ed, will you? He'll need some protection."

Lavi raised an eyebrow, "But isn't Kan-"

"Let's go, Lavi," Al sternly interrupted him, propping Cross up. Lavi didn't know what channeling was. There was no time to explain.

Cross sighed, putting away Judgment. Road immediately joined with Al and Lavi, and they were within a second. Bradley and Mustang were left alone in a battered ballroom.

"What brings you here, Roy Mustang?" Bradley tilted his head in confusion. "I thought the guard told you to keep out for a while."

"Sorry," Roy smiled. "My student was being a little hotheaded and lost his patience, so I took the opportunity to visit you anyways."

"What a great friend you are," said Bradley, brandishing his sword.

"I saw it," Roy added. "I saw everything."

Bradley raised an eyebrow, not sure of what Roy meant.

"What did you see?"

"For many years, I didn't understand why my apprentice never got along with you after you first met," Roy fisted his gloves. "Edward would never tell me, and once Alphonse finally accomplished his training, I asked him to channel Ed's memory to me. And I saw everything you did when I wasn't looking."

_

* * *

"Alphonse…" Roy approached the youngest Elric._

_ "Yes, sir?" He looked up from the papers he was sorting for Riza._

_ "Izumi told me you finished your channeling training already…"_

_ Alphonse set down his stack of papers and took a seat in the sofa in front of Roy's desk._

_ "Yes, I have," Alphonse knew where the talk was going. "You're asking me to channel you to see why brother's neck had bruises a few years ago, when he refused to talk to you about them… He didn't tell me either…"_

_ "I was wondering if you could…"_

_ Luckily Ed had come back from a mission, knocked out from intense battling, a misfortune to his part, but an opportunity for Roy and Alphonse._

_ "I will," Alphonse got up. "I don't like it when brother doesn't open up to anyone and bottles up everything."_

_ "I see…"_

* * *

"The kid was amusing," Bradley smiled. "He just sucked it up and didn't come crying to you. I wanted to see how much it would take. But he's like steel."

"Why did you continue if you knew it would never work?"

"Curiosity is what drives the mind, Mustang," Bradley approached closer. "Didn't you know that?"

"No, but I know another thing. Too much curiosity is madness."

"Then why are you pursuing Allen Walker?" Bradley asked. "You and Leverrier plan to do something with him, something the Pope probably won't agree with."

"Actually, I will persuade him." Roy smiled. "Once I show him what you have done! I will present your ashes to him!"

"!"

* * *

Hoeinheim and Link were completely lost. Sure, they were in London, but there was no sign of a Finder or Exorcist roaming the streets. The Silver Shield must be really skilled to camouflage their members.

As far as Link had known, the Shield was "somewhere" in London. He never went there or heard of its location. They had wandered for hours, and nothing showed up.

Hoeinheim, once, was not careful, and he nearly trampled a blue haired man in a dark brown overcoat and white beret. After many apologies, Hoeinheim's act caught Link's attention, and the victim met the eyes of the former CROW member. His hopes rose when he recognized the person before him.

"Supervisor Komui Lee?" Link asked back.

"Howard Link?" Komui tilted his head curiously.

Hoeinheim remained silent as Komui began laughing about how long it had been since he had met Link, and finally Link pressed the question.

"What brings you here to London?"

Komui pocketed his espresso pouches. "I was temporarily transferred to the Silver Shield to help Mustang. And you?"

"I was looking for the Shield myself." Link answered, and he presented Hoeinheim. "I was escorting this man there."

"Um… Hello…" the said man meekly nodded. Komui smiled, and laughed again.

"So you were looking for the Headquarters! Actually, it's a way from London. In the countryside."

"All the way there?" Link frowned. "How did you-"

"I used one of their cars," Komui cut Link off. "They're such fascinating machines. It's a bit rickety, but it's better than a carriage if you ask me. Sadly I won't be able to use them in the winter. At least I get to choose where I go!"

"Can we go with you to this Headquarters?" Hoeinheim asked. Komui nodded mindlessly and took them down the street.

"This way…"

* * *

Roy ducked under Bradley's swing. He was far too close to use any flames. He resorted to punching Bradley in the gut, allowing him time to back away. The General snapped his fingers, and bursts of fire bloomed around Bradley. Wincing from the heat, Bradley jumped away, and began charging again for closer combat.

Roy spotted one of Alphonse's daggers lying in wait on the floor. He picked it up and deflected Bradley's swipe. Irritated, Bradley swung again with both blades flashing, only to swatted away so lazily by the dagger. Roy found the chance to go low, and raised his right hand at Bradley's chest. He snapped, and his opponent was sent hurtling in the farthest wall.

When the dust and rubble receded, Roy could see Bradley glaring at him. But there was no mercy, cold calculating black eyes watched the gloved fingers snap a few times more.

* * *

Cross led the group through the same hall Ed had gone through, and they reached the last holding cell, where there lay four people: Ed himself, Kanda beside him, holding onto the red hood of the first, Lenalee, who was slumped over another body they didn't recognize yet… But only one possibility remained.

"This… is Allen?" Lavi gasped. Alphonse could feel Road's fingers tighten around his… Cross, grabbed the lantern Kanda had dropped to get a better look.

"It's the idiot apprentice, all right," He sighed. "But it looks like none of these people will be waking up any time soon."

"Is it because of Ed?" Alphonse asked Cross, who nodded.

"Channeling is easy and quick, but what to do when you get in the mind goes a long way…"

They stared at the silent pile of bodies, until Lavi raised his hand.

"Um… guys…? What's channeling?"

* * *

Ed navigated his way in this Ark-like mind of Allen Walker. He honestly didn't care about the fact that the newcomer was a Noah. If they shared the same goal, then the faster the operation will go. Besides, the 14th… gave some strange aura to him, a mental friendly gesture, if he thought about it more clearly.

Kanda and Lenalee tagged along right behind him, wary of Dorian's presence right next to Ed. To think Ed would be so tolerant of a mere Noah… That was highly unusual… But, Kanda had not really seen Ed's attitude against a Noah with killing intents. He shouldn't be judging the teen just yet.

They were face to face against a tall marble tower, finally. Ed looked the building up and down, and he nodded to the three others.

"I'm going to raise an elevated platform for us," He explained. "It's best that you stay close. That way, it'll be less work and energy."

Kanda and Lenalee reluctantly stepped closer to Dorian, who was already next to Ed. The blonde clapped his hands, and slammed them on the ground. Immediately, the ground beneath them shook, and the four were sent sky high on the stone pillar. They reached the top, and quickly landed on the floor as the platform they departed from crumbled away into dust.

Almost instantly, Kanda and Dorian felt malicious intent, and they crouched into a defensive position, earning Ed's attention. A casual set of footsteps from a dark doorway revealed the same High Inspector the Fullmetal Alchemist greatly loathed and somewhat feared. Everything was still the same…

"You…" Dorian murmured, and Bradley frowned.

"You came back?" Bradley snarled. "And you brought some friends, too."

Ed was quite surprised, however. This Bradley standing before them was actually panting a bit. So he was tired… from what? Seeing through people's emotions was a strange talent of his, but in other words, Bradley did some good acting… impressive…

"Where's Allen?" Lenalee shouted, and the sky roared gray to white. Dorian gave the sky a worried look… something was off… really off… but his frown curved into a victorious smile… the counterattack has begun…

"Oh," Bradley smiled. "You mean the little white haired brat I took from you?"

"Give him back," Dorian took the stage. "I demand it."

Seemingly, the man burst into a small fit of laughter. "Me? I believe you came a bit too late."

"L…Late…?"

"The boy had some fight left…" Bradley narrated. "But he was no match for me…"

The 14th nearly opened his mouth in shock… His container…. Was dead? Ed clenched his fists, while Lenalee was on the verge of tears. Kanda was even more ready to begin a sword fight with this Bradley… How dare this man make everyone feel worse by stashing away hope! How dare he harm the beansprout even further and make Lenalee cry!

"I don't want stories," Dorian stepped forward. "I want solid proof. If Allen is dead, then where's the body? Surely, I haven't faded away yet, either… I believe there is a contradiction in your claim."

"Contradiction?" Bradley raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please. I'm the closest thing to perfection that humanity can ever be."

Another footstep echoed in the room just as Bradley finished. The difference was that this one was louder, and had more impact on the floor, so much that it shook a bit. Everyone was alarmed by the sound and feeling, when Bradley turned around drawing his sword, but his grip slackened when he recognized the entity.

"Perfection…" A voice echoed from the same door Bradley had emerged form. "You call yourself perfect? What a joke."

A strange aura lit the roof as this unknown entity began stepping in. The skies turned pure white, and the clouds cleared away, a peaceful azure in the atmosphere.

"Say…" the voice seemed pleased, that Bradley had begun to tremble slightly. "It's about time, I kick you out of here… Bradley…"

The sunlight splashed color on a boy who had come out of the black door. Silver eyes flashed dangerously, and white hair moved in the soft breeze. The restraints of a worn down gray straitjacket rustled in the wind, its left sleeve ripped away to reveal a slender black arm, equipped with gleaming black claws.

Everyone watched with wide eyes as the boy they had fought possession over took control of the situation. He had made his decision, and one of the two parties was going down.

"Allen… Walker…" Bradley snarled. "I thought you were long gone…"

"Yet I'm here," Allen smiled. "That means you failed to kill me… I have Innocence to sustain myself, remember?"

"You…" Bradley growled. "And you held back all this time… little brat…"

**A/N: O.O I was wondering it got to this point, but yay! more suspense and explaining to do next chapter! Apparently, school's starting pretty soon, so my dad's cramming information into me head... I don't even have time to touch my computer... Ah well... that means updates will be even slower than usual... until breaks and holidays... Then probably a double chapter will show up.**

**As for the AU version of this where Allen's a girl and all that... I've gotten some ideas, and even more when I read the newest chapter... Oh no! Allen! Some reason, I don't like Noah!Allen... sounds really weird... Now Kanda's guilty and everything... I'm hating the earl even more now.**

**I actually read Family Walker, and it was really adorable, how Allen adopted those two... those girls were so adorable! I've always wondered what would happen if Allen got married and had kids... I guess it's expected he'd be like Komui when it comes to the safety of a daughter... especially since he lived with Cross for about three or five years... I think it would have been better if Allen was the mom and Kanda was the dad...**

**Next Chapter:**

**A Surprisingly Well Allen Walker meets friends new and old, and they set out to find Bradley. Dorian explains his friendly relations with Allen to the team. Meanwhile, Lavi, Road, and Alphonse continue to stare at unconscious people. Hoeinheim learns of his sons' whereabouts and begins to remember a bittersweet memory.  
**


	25. Conclusion of a Bonfire

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 25 – Conclusion of a Bonfire  
**

Roy panted as he watched the inferno surrounding him. His enemy vanished before him, a beaten man with little identity… A hill of dust.

"You weren't human…" Roy gasped for air. "You… weren't…"

Vision was becoming fuzzy, and the black dots wouldn't stop coming.

Silence…

A small thud could be heard in the burning room.

* * *

_The Sun and Moon, the two entities of the infinite sky…_

_The sun fades when the moon calls it away, and night comes…_

_Nearby a crow with three legs perches on a moonlit tree, since the sun was absent… and it waits…_

_Two families were blessed with the power of eternal life, the power to co-reside and govern humanity's actions._

_Upon the house of Xerxes is the sun._

_Upon the house of Noah is the moon._

_The day and night never met, only to be separated by a dark wall of nothingness after two centuries of prosperity from the Flood…_

* * *

Ed watched in wonder as a surprisingly well and healthy Allen approached the weary High Inspector, who was petrified at Allen's condition. But Bradley snapped back to his senses and evaded the Destroyer of Time, leaping down great heights from the building to plan a counterattack. Allen took no hesitation to rush to the side of the roof and only see the departing enemy. Disappointed silver eyes looked from the ledge of the tower to the group standing before him. He smiled weakly.

"I knew you would come…" He laughed. Lenalee couldn't help but run into his welcoming arms, hugging him very tightly… Allen was surprised by Lenalee's strength, but patted her head.

"Lenalee…" He said. "It's been a while…"

"Allen…!" Lenalee's tears flowed freely down her face. "You're alive… Alive…"

Allen smiled at the emotional girl, and he turned to the three other boys. He smiled at the blue ponytailed samurai first.

"Long time, no see… BaKanda…"

"Shut it, Beansprout…" Kanda snarled. "I was saving this sword swipe I've been practicing for your head. You want me to test it out here?"

"It's Allen…" the silvery haired boy sighed. "You still can't even say my name…"

"Che," Kanda walked away. "Whatever…"

Allen turned to Ed, and eyes lit up with recognition.

"Ed…?" Allen asked. "Is that you?"

Ed smiled, folding his arms accordingly.

"The one and only," He laughed. "Told you I'd be coming back… Even if it meant five years… Al's missed you and Cross a lot… You… I can understand… but Cross… I don't see anything great about him, even now…"

Allen laughed at Ed's thoughts about his Master. Dorian watched silently as his vessel's soul beamed once more… Closing his eyes thoughtfully, he hoped everyone would come out alive…

"Enough with the chitchat," Kanda jumped in again. "We need to find that Bradley bastard before he tries killing you or any of us again."

"Oh!" Allen nervously scratched the back of his head. "That…"

"What are we waiting for?" Lenalee was energetic. "Let's get him!"

Allen was about to step off the ledge but Kanda jerked him back roughly.

"Oi, beansprout," He growled. "What the hell is wrong with you! We find your damn body, and now you're going to commit suicide?"

"What's with your mind, BaKanda!" Allen shouted back in Kanda's face. "Who said I was committing suicide! I was going to use Crown Clown to get down from here!"

"Sure!" Kanda sarcastically added. "The tower's about a hundred feet! You think you're gonna go running around just when you got better? We all saw your real condition! Don't you even remember that?"

Allen's shoulders slackened, and he let go of Kanda's coat. His eyes showed understanding. He knew he was wreck in reality… A warm hand made him jolt, and he faced the pure purple eyes of Lenalee.

"Just calm down, Allen," She smiled. "You probably just healed yourself… Let Ed do something for you just once, all right?"

True… It's been awhile since Ed and Allen ever talked… Besides, he wondered what Ed's real Innocence was… Surely in these five years, Ed's skill must have gotten significantly better…

"Ed…" Allen asked. "Will… you…"

"Yeah yeah," Ed smiled. "I'll get you down from here fast… But you're going to have to explain to Mr. Grumpy and Lenalee here about Dorian. Don't worry about me. The General and I did some research before we came to see you…"

"Oh… thanks…" Allen sighed. That's one less person to talk to. Ed proceeded to clap his hands, and everyone gathered around him.

* * *

_A delicate wire bridge connected these two hills, when two brothers of gray skin found warmth in the welcoming hands of a young boy of the sun's hair. They share a goal to oversee both night and day. The wire was cut, but these three young men sought to bring the two families together one day…_

* * *

"W…Whoa…"

Link and Hohenheim stared with dropping jaws… the Silver Shield estate. The blue haired supervisor was dancing around the flower garden.

"See? It's so grand! Just like the Order itself!" Komui laughed.

Hohenheim's mouth twitched slightly… This was where his sons were living? I… Impressive… Reminds him of his first home…

"Now, now!" Komui shoved them through the door. "We can't let ourselves catch a cold, right?"

"Oh… um… yeah…" Hohenheim stuttered, eager to see more of the mansion. He gasped at the foyer… almost the same… A pair of grand stairs, joining into one… Above the point of intersection… a banner of a silver and navy lion… Now who was it that designed this building?

Link noticed Hohenheim's unusual hesitation. "Sir… Is there something wrong…?"

"Ah, nothing…" Hohenheim shook of the thought. Probably this was just his imagination that this building seemed similar to the House of Xerxes…

Komui opened the door to the rest of the building. Shieska, looked up from her desk, and with a rustling start, she shot up from her seat.

"Ah, Komui…" She added. "Leverrier's waiting for you in Mustang's office."

"Oh, that makes things just better!" Komui clapped his hands enthusiastically. Casually, he linked arms with the two newcomers and dragged them down the halls.

* * *

_ A ten year old boy with blonde hair was meandering around a lonely beach, his ponytail billowing. Small strands of his golden hair got in his face, and he brushed them away in frustration. Sunset was gazing overhead, and his golden eyes showed little concern to the radiant beams of light blinding his vision. He only walked, allowing the ocean water to brush past his ankles softly._

_Usually he did this alone. Being the next head of the family was usually simple. You don't work for real until your old man kicks the bucket. So far, he finished his chores and tasks in one morning, much to his mother's dismay. His aunt wondered if the boy even bothered to properly do his work, always accusing him of only rushing things to get more time to have pointless walks on a beach._

_Today he found nothing… No seashells to take home… No jellyfish to poke and examine… No dolphins to watch… Zilch… Maybe he should've taken more time on organizing the library… Probably missed a spot on the shelves…_

_Just as he began closing his eyes in bitter disappointment, the boy jerked sideways, noticing something unusual._

_A perched figure was resting on a large boulder. His hair, a dark brown mop, nearly cast a shadow over his eyes, which glowed yellow. His white blouse ruffled in the strong breeze, along with his velvet black vest. His feet were propped on the rigged surface, black boots digging into the granite, the near same color as his skin._

_The strange boy noticed the blonde, and waved for him to come closer. And friendship blossomed._

* * *

"Allen…?" Lenalee looked at the white haired boy. They were walking down a corridor.

"Hm?"

"Why are you so… normal? Are you sure you're okay?"

Allen nodded. "I'm fine, Lenalee. You don't have to worry so much. If it weren't for Dorian here, then I'd be as mad as a hatter."

"Why, thanks, little Walker," Dorian smiled. Kanda snorted.

"Showoff." He whispered. Dorian sighed.

"Don't assume because I'm so great I can't hear you. Besides, I don't see you doing anything for little Walker here, BaKanda."

Kanda was immediately taken back. For this stranger to say his hated nickname so freely… How did he know?

"I told Dorian all about you guys," Allen didn't bother to turn around to face Kanda directly. "He's familiar with the nicknames I gave everyone."

Kanda grit his teeth angrily. "Moyashi… I'm going to kill you when we finish our business here…"

"I doubt that will happen," Ed added flatly. "Alphonse will make you a beaten pulp if you did."

"Why so, short stack?" Kanda snarled. Ed scoffed in annoyance.

"My brother's going to take over medical operations when we get back," He smiled. "You won't be able to leave the hospital bed until he says so."

"Who said I'm going to get hurt here?" Kanda growled. "I'm not an invalid!"

"Ah, but channeling's going to be very taxing," Allen stated, laced with amusement. "You'll be weak on your feet when you get back, BaKanda. Boy, I'd love to see that."

"Too bad, Moyashi," Kanda shot back. "You'll be an invalid when you wake up, too. You'd probably not be able to see anyone."

"Oh yeah?" Allen was fired up, but Lenalee immediately stopped the argument. They walked down in silence for a moment, until Ed realized something.

"How did you know about channeling anyway?" Ed asked Allen.

"Dorian knows," Allen answered. "I did have an entire year to talk to him. He spent a lot of time talking about alchemy."

"Impressive," Ed nodded away.

"We're close," Allen announced, and everyone prepared their weapons.

As soon as they had walked through the arch into a large stone courtyard earlier, Allen's Claw was met with a pair of long swords.

* * *

_"So, your name?"_

_ "Van Hohenheim Xerxes."_

_ "Van Hohenheim… I'm Dorian! Dorian Gray Walker! I have an older brother, Mana! But he's busy right now, though."_

_ "So," the blonde boy sat on the chair with the dark haired youth. "You live around here?"_

_ "Nope." Dorian sighed. "My family's here on a vacation. My oldest brother Adam wants to talk with some guy named Anso Hoeinheim Xerxes, a nutcase, he says…"_

_ Hohenheim sweat dropped. "That's… my dad…"_

_ "R-really?" The teen received a nod. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you!"_

_ "It's nothing really," Hohenheim looked out at the beach. "I'm pretty sure the whole house thinks my dad is a mad hatter in a way."_

_ "Mad hatter?" Dorian asked. "That's strange, coming from you."_

_ "He doesn't mind," Hohenheim added. "My old man actually likes the name. Keeps asking everyone to call him that."_

_ "Dorian! Where are you?"_

_ Dorian sat up very quickly, and Hohenheim wondered why._

_ "It's Mana…"_

_ A boy was climbing the stairs towards them. His wavy brown hair was tied into a small ponytail behind him that bounced as he skipped several steps. He seemed a few years older than both Hohenheim and Dorian._

_ "You've made a friend around here?"_

_ "Yep! He's Anso's son!"_

_ "I see…" Mana smiled, and briefly held out his hand to shake. "I'm Mana Walker, House of Noah."_

_ "Oh… nice to meet you…"_

* * *

Lavi winced as he saw a trail of blood dripping down from Kanda's mouth. Al was even more horrified of the large slash that ran down Ed's cheek. A bruise was appearing on Lenalee's leg, and Allen's face had another cut (if it didn't have enough already).

Cross furrowed his eyes in concern at his apprentice. Was the procedure this bad?

"What's going on with them?" Lavi gasped.

"They're probably in a battle," Alphonse explained. "A nasty one, too."

"You'll help them when they come back, Al," Road comforted him. "No worries…"

"Yeah…" Alphonse smiled, but then his weak smile faded. "But I'll have to chain Kanda to his bed…"

"Yep," Lavi sighed. "The guy probably will get out of the hospital if you don't take extra measures."

Road tried to reach out for Allen, but Alphonse's hand was faster and Road was pulled back.

"Please don't touch them," He explained. "If you move their bodies, that will affect them in the battle that's going on in Allen's head."

Everyone watched solemnly as random injuries were appearing on their comrades' bodies, who laid still.

* * *

_"It's hard to talk with you two, nowadays," Hohenheim smiled, peeling an apple as he leaned back on a large tree limb. Dorian and Mana were sitting opposite him, peeling their own apples._

_ "Ever since that day we met," Mana began eating. "The heads of the family have butted heads with each other. Remember that disagreement about who gets the immortality spell?"_

_ "Yeah…" Hohenheim nodded. On that fateful day he met Mana, his father and Adam, the head of the Noah family, were to be presented the decision of who achieved the immortality spell. It was nothing important to him, however. But after the decision was made, the two houses became bitterly unfriendly and broke ties._

_ "Good thing you told us where to find you," Dorian laughed. "Didn't know you love to visit the apple orchard here."_

_ "I like apples," Hohenheim defended. "At this time of the year, they're pretty good."_

_ "Well, the gatekeeper held us up again," Dorian laughed. They were now somewhere in their late twenties, having had talked and laughed behind their elders' backs. A bit secretive for friendship, but it suited them well._

_ "About this immortality thing…" Dorian began the real discussion. "It looks like your family got the bigger bite out of it than mine."_

_ "Looks like it…" Hohenheim sighed. "You're not mad, are you?"_

_ "Nah," Mana laughed. "I'd rather live my life honestly and die happy. I'd rather not watch the world to its end."_

_ "Me neither…" Hohenheim nodded, putting away his small knife, and beginning to eat his apple. "I guess things are meant to last for only a moment. The thing is… my father plans to use this immortality thing on me…"_

_ "W-What?" Dorian nearly fell off the tree. "Is it because you're going to take his place soon?"_

_ "Looks like it…"_

_ "Haha," Mana joked. "You get to outlive both of us."_

_ "Not necessarily," Hohenheim thoughtfully ate. "This immortality spell isn't exactly going to make me live forever… I'm just going to have a few centuries extra to live."_

_ "That's still kinda like immortality, no matter what way you see it." Dorian took a large chunk on an apple he found. "Although, Adam probably is just jealous of your dad."_

_ "Why so?"_

_ "You see…" Mana explained. "The Noah technically is immortal itself. Only the fourteen strongest Noah members have this power. If they die, their souls are reincarnated in another Noah member, and the cycle goes on… Well, Dorian's one of these fourteen special members…"_

_ "Wow," Van stopped eating. "That's… intense…"_

_ "I'm not as talented in Dark Magic like Dorian," Mana added. "So he'll go on, and I won't…."_

_ "That's… even more reassuring…" Hohenheim sarcastically snorted._

_ "Anyways, how's your Magic training going?" Dorian jumped the subject._

_ "Boring," Hohenheim sighed. "I seem to know everything they teach me, and I exceed expectations, as usual. And we call it alchemy, Mana, not Magic."_

_ "Well, I'm doing pretty well for my age… my Dark Magic, I mean," Dorian smiled. "I've even surpassed Tryde and Joyde. Adams always congratulating me about possibly being the next head of the family!"_

_ "That's nice…" Hohenheim started eating again._

_ "But Adam always says something about a flood," Dorian scratched his head sheepishly. "Everyone who's older than me won't tell, for some reason."_

_ "Maybe when you start getting gray hairs they will," Mana sighed._

_ "Yeah, possibly so," Hohenheim nodded, staring at the apple core he left behind. Then an idea struck him._

_ "You know," He began. "I really wish we'd be allowed to see each other."_

_ "Hm?" Dorian looked up. "You mean, restore the alliance or something?"_

_ "Yeah… something like that…"_

* * *

The fight had already begun for a while. The courtyard was even more ruined, and the team was heavily injured. Allen probably had a broken arm, but he wasn't feeling any pain. Adrenaline, he supposed. Ed's arm was close to breaking, and Lenalee was tired from battle already. Their enemy remained unscathed. Kanda was busy battling alongside Allen, who was holding back Bradley's sword that was meant for his head.

Kanda took the opportunity to jump over Allen and slash down on the perpetrator, who backed away at the last minute. Bradley lurched forward to send a gale of wind their way, intending to immobilize them, but before the stream of wind could make it, Ed formed a rising wall of stone from the ground.

"As troublesome as always, Elric!"

Ed was shocked to hear the voice right behind him, and he spun on his feet, seeing pointed edge of a sword straight for his nose, but a pair of red boots pushed away the metal, while Ed fell on his bottom, having been hit with recoil from the strong winds produced. Lenalee landed with a flourishing flip, deflecting another pair of blades with the heel of her of Dark Boots. Allen took over as withdrew his large sword (Ed's jaw drops at the size of the thing). Lenalee rushed to Ed's side, helping him up.

"Ed!" She shouted over the deafening clangs. "You all right?"

"Fine!" Ed shouted back, and he clapped his hands to turn his automail arm into a switchblade. He sprinted behind Bradley and slashed down, but grit his teeth in annoyance as Bradley kicked away his blade.

"Damnit," He snarled. "There's five of us fighting this thing, and he's still standing?"

Ed's resolve burned as he got up again to make another attack. Allen changed his sword back to its claw, preparing for Edge End. Kanda rushed forward, his sword flashing blue. With a sharp battle cry, they attacked Bradley in all three directions.

**_She cannot see this._**

Dorian, who wasn't doing anything yet, made his way quietly to Lenalee at the same time. He heard Allen's command, and he nodded, placing his gloved hands over Lenalee's eyes, just when the three Exorcists were centimeters from Bradley.

A sickening pop of splashing liquid rang through her ears, and the nasty sound was followed by a loud rumble. Then a clap was heard, and a crackling of lightning. Dorian uncovered her eyes, and Lenalee saw Allen, Kanda, and Ed, panting softly as they stood in front of a large hold in the ground.

"Bradley…" Allen panted. "He fell through the hole as we stabbed him… Ed was quick enough to help us out of there by alchemy."

Dorian looked thoughtfully at the hole, and he decided to take action. The 14th bounded to the edge of the hole, but Allen stopped him.

"I'm going to finish him," Dorian answered the boy's silent question. "Take it as a favor for the nice talk last week."

Kanda snorted. "Showoff."

"Hey," Dorian frowned. "I'm not a showoff."

Kanda "I don't see you doing any help to Moyashi over here this time, you self-centered idiot."

Dorian glared daggers at the Japanese samurai, who glared back.

Lenalee sweat dropped. "Gee… Kanda has another person on his hit list…"

Ed sighed impatiently. "All right. Enough tension."

"Go already," Kanda spun on his heel. "I don't care, actually."

"All right then," Dorian turned to Allen and nodded promptly before descending.

* * *

Bradley snarled to himself as he climbed down the vertical corridor. Blood was flowing freely from his torso. He could hear the chaser gaining on him quickly. He let go of the ladder he was hanging onto and landed on the cold stone surface.

"You make your escape routes far too easy to find, Bradley."

Bradley was on high alert, drawing out a sword.

"Come out, Allen Walker," He frowned. "I don't like it when my prey hides."

"And why so?" the voice reverberated, and a bright white light flashed upon the Inspector, who noticed a figure stepping into view. Gray skin, brown hair, and golden eyes threw him off.

"Dorian Gray…" He sighed. "So little Walker doesn't want to dirty his hands."

"I guess you could say that," the 14th shook off the comment. "But I guess I'll just make this quick."

A large bang echoed in the room, and an a small object ripped through Bradley's torso, leaving only a strangled gasp as the corpse faded from existence. Dorian pocketed his hands, satisfied at his clean job. He took out his pocket watch, and grinned.

"Coast is clear, Walker."

"Good."

* * *

_A dark moonlit room contained several people, all silent as they watched the foremost leader stand up, setting done his fist like a final gavel. Everyone held their breaths, not wishing to anger the eldest Noah any further. Adam's golden eyes turned cold as he stared at his gloved hands._

_"I want to eliminate the House of Xerxes," Adam frowned. "Leave no one behind when we begin the Flood."_

_ Dorian and Mana listened and departed. Execution… has the bitterness gone this far? They fled from the hallway and into the bedroom they shared, not sure of how to deal with their eldest brother's orders._

_ "Are we going to leave, brother?" Dorian asked. Mana simply nodded._

_ "We are to leave nothing behind."_

* * *

Now the clock was stopped, and Allen found the moment to tell everything... and finally…

"I'll be saying goodbye for now…" Allen smiled, and Lenalee gasped.

"What do you mean?"

"When we all wake up," Allen explained. "I won't be the same Allen Walker you see now… I'll have Dorian here to guide you on my recovery."

"Thank you, Allen," Ed smiled, and the white haired boy smiled back.

"Thanks to you, too, Ed."

Allen turned to Kanda, who snorted and averted his gaze. Allen smirked and placed his hands on his hips.

"Come on, BaKanda," He laughed. "I know _you_ want to say something."

"Like hell I would," Kanda snarled, and looked at him. "If I really need to talk to the likes of you, I might as well wait for us to get out of here."

A tense atmosphere followed, and Kanda's shoulders slackened.

"You better be alive," Kanda added. Allen nodded in response. Dorian checked his pocket watch, and pointed to the sky.

"Your 'ride' is coming," He alerted them. A large hole erupted from above, and everyone but Allen and Dorian were lifted up towards the black chasm.

"Bye, Allen!" Lenalee shouted, and Allen waved. When the three were out of sight, Dorian turned to Allen, who looked longingly at his departing friends.

"Have a good time, invalid," Dorian joked, getting a punch on the arm from his vessel's soul, and the two faded also. And the mind went black. Allen Walker was awake again.

* * *

_Hohenheim dropped the basket of apples he had planned to deliver to the kitchen that day… Dorian and Mana, who secretly helped, gasped at the scene._

_"W-What… is this…?"_

_ The house of Xerxes was in fiery uproar, ashes fluttering at his feet. Dorian and Mana stood in silence before they could comprehend what had happened. So Adam had truly went along with his plan._

_ "Hohenheim…" Dorian placed a hand on his shoulders, and a small shock made him pull back. Van Hohenheim turned around, facing the two brothers. Mana realized this. Hohenheim witnessed their memories… from contact. Channeling was performed._

_ "The Noah had done this," He spoke over the fire. "My family is gone…"_

_ Mana and Dorian bit their lips, but were surprised with a small smile from their friend, who closed his eyes in understanding._

_ "But it's fine… because I saw it all…"_

_ Hohenheim placed a heavy hand on his heart._

_ "They're all with me, and I'll grant their wishes to avenge them, with your help, of course. You'll follow me for the next couple centuries, will you?"_

_ "But Hohenheim…" Mana raised an eyebrow, doubting his claims… which Hohenheim countered by showing a small bottled potion._

_ "The spell had already been performed," Hohenheim answered. "A bottled potion was made specifically for drinking and gaining immortality. I drank enough for a thousand centuries. I suggest you do the same, Mana. Dorian already has his contract written."_

_ Mana gasped at the bottle, and took it with shaking hands._

_ "Very well," He nodded, uncapping the bottle. "To the Promised Day."_

* * *

Kanda woke up with hospital lights staring down at him. He hated this… He looked to the side to see Lavi with an arm cast, Ed getting yelled at by Winry as his automail was being fixed. Lenalee was getting her bandages on her legs, and Roy was out cold on the bed in the far corner. Crowded. He didn't like it. He made a move to get up, but felt a clinking metal holding him back. Chains… tying him onto the hospital bed. This was new.

"Ah, Kanda!"

Alphonse was looking down at the Japanese Exorcist, who was struggling.

"Alphonse…" Kanda growled. "Who did this…?"

"I did," Al sighed. "I transmuted some extra steel from the lab to keep you here."

"What? Who said you could do this to me? I'm perfectly fine! Ow!"

Al resorted to slamming his face with a mallet. Within that moment Kanda noticed that Alphonse's entire arms were bandaged thinly.

"Shut up!" Alphonse snarled back. "I'm the doctor here!"

"I don't have injuries!" Kanda bellowed. "I'm- Ow! Don't hit me like that! Not my arm!"

"That wasn't me, Kanda," Alphonse set out his daggers. "It was your arm hurting itself. You broke it during your fight with Bradley."

"What? Why didn't it heal?"

"I put a transmutation on your body so it won't start healing itself when you woke up." Alphonse began his healing procedures. "I'm quite talented at alchemy, too, you know."

"But-"

"No, Kanda," Alphonse sternly replied. "**_I'm_** going to heal you, and you're not going to use your abilities you told me about. It's for your own damn good!"

Kanda stared unblinkingly at Al. This was the first Al had sworn in front of him. He glanced at Ed, who was busy healing himself, but the blonde Alchemist said nothing. Strange… Al seemed to hold a lot of authority when it comes to medical situations, it's not even worth speaking up against him.

He slumped back, snarling as Alphonse began to heal him.

"How's the beansprout?" Kanda asked.

Alphonse sighed. "He's in a separate ward. I've yet to report a full diagnostic, but he's banged up really badly, though. I've just healed myself a few hours ago. The Matron already worked with Lavi and Roy, so I decided to work on yours. You probably were the most wounded, since you fought Bradley for the most time. But Allen tops you in the most injuries."

"You think?" Kanda snarled sarcastically. A small silence was broken by Winry hitting Ed with a wrench. A loud yelp echoed across the room. Kanda relaxed his head as it sank into the soft pillows.

"Hello Yuu~!"

A certain redhead jumped his way to Kanda's bed.

"Aw… you're chained up!" the Bookman Junior teased. "What might happen to you…?"

"Shut up, idiot rabbit," Kanda spat. "It was Alphonse here who did this."

"And I was the one to suggest it~…"

This made another vein pop in Kanda's forehead.

"You! STUPID RABBIT! I'LL SLICE YOUR HEAD OFF AND HAVE JERRY COOK YOU FOR DINNER WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS THING!"

"Whoa…" Lavi sighed. "Well, you'll be recovering like everyone else. Soooo… You're not gonna get me!"

"Grrr… damn you…"

Alphonse smacked him hard with a mallet again.

"Stop this!" He shouted, and kicked Lavi back to his bed on the other side of the room. "Kanda, if you're going to get any angrier, your injuries are not going to heal any faster. I'll need to be seeing Allen after this, so don't waste my time!"

Kanda scowled, and closed his eyes, planning to go to sleep, but an idea sparked through his head. Alphonse, who was currently dealing with his broken wrist, noticed a new aura from Kanda.

"What do you want, Kanda?"

"When you're done, please let me see the bean sprout."

Alphonse stared shockingly at Kanda as if he grew three heads, but he smiled happily. Lavi, who popped out of nowhere again, was laughing like crazy.

"Kanda? What happened to you!"

That's it! Alphonse had had it!

"GET BACK TO YOUR BED, LAVI!"

Lavi's snickers was replaced with squeaks and screams as the Matron angrily dragged him away, chains in hand. Kanda sighed at Lavi's spontaneous appearances. The idiot didn't know when to stop…

"I see." Alphonse answered Kanda's request. "You want to your dear little-"

"That's not implying anything, Alphonse!" Kanda growled, relieved his hand was normal again. "I just need to see him and-"

"See?" Alphonse pointed out. "You're like his brother! You care for him!"

"Shut up!"

**A/N: Woohoo! Big grand finale chapter for this arc! Ah, yeah... I know... missed out a lot of action, but the rest of the fight spans out in the next chapter. Oh right! I've been wondering if any of you guys noticed that I made a small Yullen implication throughout the chapter (brotherly love... not!). Yep, when I remake this story, those moments will probably turn out to be more romantic (cue fangirl squee). Alphonse really has a temper, does he...?**

**Ah, right! I made something new on DA about yullen (not really, but they're just close together). Check in on it if you have spare time.  
**

**Tomorrow, school starts for me, so updates will definitely be super slow (to monthly give or take). but I'd appreciate the support through reviews. Thank you!**

**Preview: To Hear But Never Say**

**Kanda visits a sleeping Allen and helps Alphonse treat to Allen's wounds. Alphonse decides to read through Allen's mind, taking Kanda with him. Roy's team visits an unconscious Roy, encountering Ed, who has finished channeling through Roy's memories, and recounts what had happened to Roy. Hohenheim tries to find the courage to see his sons, who are stuck in the infirmary for the week, while Link talks with his superior in Roy's office. Komui is despairing over the fact that Lenalee got injured. Meanwhile, Kanda and Alphonse discover something that will make Allen's recovery even more difficult. Roy finally wakes up, and sees Alphonse, who is ready, yet uneasy, to address Allen's full diagnosis.  
**


	26. To Hear But Never Say

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 26 – To Hear But Never Say**

_

* * *

With a slight gasp of air, Kanda, Ed, Allen, and Lenalee were all breathing heavily, still asleep. Alphonse's grim expression turned into a relieved smile, while Lavi and Cross watched in disbelief._

_"They did it!" Lavi jumped when he realized what happened. Road smiled, squeezing Alphonse's hand, and the younger Elric couldn't contain his excitement._

_"Brother did it! Allen is back!"_

_But then he stopped smiling. He was tired… so tired… he must rest…_

_His wounds immediately made him sleep for another day._

* * *

Riza didn't take her eyes off her slumbering superior. The man was covered in burns. She remembered finding him in the middle of fire, and she immediately had Rose set up some protection for him. He had many cuts, and a broken arm. His other arm suffered a stab wound in the shoulder. The General put up a fight.

"He'll be fine, Lieutenant," Ed's voice made her jump. "His hands only been burnt since he didn't have gloves on, and he used _that_."

The boy standing opposite the bed had been hurt a lot, too. His eyes were quite tired, from channeling for a long time, and his own fight with Bradley added more cuts and broken automail, much to Winry's dismay. His fake limbs had been fixed quickly, but his flesh arm still needed to heal. He was carrying a box with specially carved knives.

"Edward," Riza sighed. "You should rest before performing any alkahestry on Roy."

"It's fine, Lieutenant," Ed's golden eyes wore a determined glance. "I'm quite fine. I've got permission from the Matron to help, too."

"What about Winry?"

"All she needs to worry about is my arm and leg. It's done, see?"

He raised his automail arm, but Riza sighed. How oblivious could this boy get?

"You know she worries more than just your automail, Ed."

"I know…" Ed wistfully watched his master sleep. "I didn't let her see any other wounds when she came by. Luckily, there were none on my chest."

"You shouldn't make her worry sick," Riza shook her head. "At least have her help, too."

"Just because her parents were doctors and she read all their books," Ed frowned. "That doesn't mean she can walk right in, and help."

"Ed," Riza stood up, fluffed Roy's pillow slightly. "Be a bit more lenient. Keeping a cold front isn't going to get you any allies."

"I don't too many people involved in this war," Ed began setting the knives in position. "That will just lead to more Akuma being created."

"Edward…" Riza sighed. "You care too much."

A silence rose between surrogate mother and son, until Ed remembered something.

"Hawkeye," He added. "I channeled through Roy's memories earlier. It was quick, so it wasn't hard on myself, but I can tell you what happened to Roy."

"Ah, yes… that…"

* * *

"All right, Kanda, all finished."

The Japanese samurai felt the chains melting away, and he shot up from his bed. He would have wanted to kill Lavi now, but someone else was on his mind. Al put away his knives, and picked up the rod of steel he had used for chains.

"Never do that again," Kanda warned the dark blonde, who chuckled darkly in response.

"You promise not to run out of the hospital when you're aren't supposed to?"

"Y-yes…"

"Good," Alphonse picked up his box of knives. "Let's go."

Kanda nodded and followed Alphonse through the long corridor of rooms. He passed by Lavi, who was chained to his bed. The redhead noticed Kanda was already out of the bed, and he screamed in complaint, but the Matron slapped him silly for making a racket in the infirmary. They walked deeper, passing by several Finders that Kanda didn't know, until they encountered a small hallway of separate rooms, labeled, "Private Wards."

They went to the one nearest to them, cautiously opening the door to avoid noise. Kanda kept a cool expression, but his mind was surprised at a frail young boy in the only bed of the room.

The blood and dirt had been cleaned off his hair, which was restored to its snowy white quality. His face was more distinguishable, but his forehead was wrapped in bandages, covering the recognizable pentacle scar. A blanket was placed over his body, chest down, but his arms were left lying on top. His neck was also heavily wrapped in bandages, as was his arms and chest. Allen's Innocence was brittle and seemed close to falling apart. This was what the great Allen Walker was reduced to.

"Kanda, stop staring at Allen and help me here," Alphonse snapped Kanda out of his worries, and he went straight away to taking the clipboard Alphonse gave him.

"S-sorry," He said flatly, but Alphonse shook his head.

"Have you ever done this before?"

Kanda shook his head. Of course not. He usually stowed himself away in the training room, the cafeteria, and his bedroom. Well, he also visited the library on Tiedoll's behalf to "study." With an idiot rabbit looming over his head, of course.

"Well, there's always a first," Alphonse went to the opposite of Allen's bed, surveying the bandages.

He continued. "We should be able to examine the wounds without causing any bleeding now. Can you please unwrap the ones around his head?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Please be gentle with the patient," Alphonse left the room. "I need to get the basic report."

Gentle… he had never done that before. Everything about him was strength and toughness, but being gentle… this was new. He carefully let his hands hover over Allen's head, taking the end of the bandage and carefully removing it, supporting the boy's head if necessary.

Kanda could see a large gash running down the side of Allen's head. Nasty, he thought. Soon, he heard Alphonse's footsteps approaching softly, and the door opened. Seeing what Kanda had done. Alphonse nodded in approval.

"Good, Kanda."

"Hm…" Kanda sighed, in relief. Alphonse smiled.

"See? Being gentle wasn't so hard. Now, how about the bandages around his neck?"

* * *

Hohenheim stayed in the office, quietly waiting for the "General" to come in, but one of his subordinates said he was currently in operation, so he waited more. Komui was off to see his little sister. Link was busy talking with Leverrier in a separate room, so he watched the soldier-like men write paperwork.

What really was on his mind was what had happened a few minutes ago.

_

* * *

Hohenheim and Link heard a commotion of a crowd of people passing by. Leverrier set down his teacup, while Komui his espresso. The two men's faces lit up with some type of joy and they rushed out of the room, eager to see the newcomers. Hohenheim and Link followed suit, not knowing who might be important to cause a racket._

_They opened the office doors, and saw a line of paramedics and nurses hauling in several people in stretchers coming their way. The first he saw was a young boy with white hair, who probably was the most critically wounded, being that he was in front._

_Hohenheim watched the next person, a black haired man with multiple burns on himself. His uniform was burned off badly at the sleeves, and his left shoulder was bandaged tightly. After that was a young emerald haired girl, whom Komui started to hysterically cry for. The Supervisor followed this girl he assumed was his sister. Next was a redhead with a headband, and then a man with long blue hair, and apparently, he was chained to the stretcher. Wonder why…_

_The last two caught his eye. Two blonde boys, a year apart, being carted off to the infirmary. Both had small ponytails, too, and the faces were too recognizable. Without thinking, he rushed to their side, trying to confirm who they were. But a tight-lipped Matron whacked him over the head._

_"Do not approach Major Elric and Doctor Elric, young man! They are under critical condition! Please stand aside. Visiting hours will be held when we say so!"_

_Hohenheim backed away, but his eyes were glued on the two boys until they were out of his view. Link, relieved that they had come, was busy steadying his superior, who was crying tears of joy (Leverrier crying happily! That's gotta be impossible! Ha! I disproved it!)._

_"Allen Walker… he's alive… thank goodness…"_

_The Eastern Sage silently noted that something was up with those two boys he saw, and was resolved to talk to them face to face._

* * *

He buried his face in his hands. How was he going to talk to them. Would they know him? Would they accept him after all the things he's never done with them? Was he… Would they… Will he… How will he... This was too many questions for the last man of Xerxes.

He had asked about the two boys, but the subordinates didn't give names, probably because they didn't trust outside visitors. All they said was that when Riza came back, she would escort him to see the infirmary patients. Who was Riza in the first place?

Conveniently, the door opened, and a blonde woman with pinned up hair strode in, holding her handy clipboard, and those slacking off went straight to work at her cold presence. Hohenheim assumed that this woman was the Riza they mentioned.

"You wish to see the patients?"

"Y-Yeah! I'm sorry for rushing you."

"There's no worry," Riza answered flatly, and turned on her heel. "Follow me."

* * *

They passed through the hallway, and Riza couldn't help but notice that Hohenheim was amazed at the architecture. That was common, since Ed, being the genius at almost anything, contributed most to the design and construction than anyone else. But this type of awe was different, as if the man was familiar with the architecture, and was amazed to see it again.

Her mind set itself on other things now, such as the cause of Roy's injuries. Surely the stab wound was not severe enough to paralyze, but there was always the risk…

_

* * *

Roy passed under Bradley's next swing and snapped at the man's chest, blowing him twenty feet across the room, in flaming embers. At this point, Roy expected ash, but footsteps surprised him._

_"You'll need to do much more than that to take away my face, Mustang."_

_What? How could he-_

_A sharp intake of breath and Roy was clutching his right wrist, his white glove blooming red. His teeth was clenched as he seethed, wondering just how Bradley could've broken his wrist so easily. This chase was getting really irritating, and he had already gotten cuts and bruises all over himself. His tattered sweaty uniform and the fire he made wasn't helping him stop the dizziness in his head, either._

_"Stop dawdling," Bradley taunted. "I've been looking for better game, you know."_

_A sharp pop of a blade piercing through flesh overridden the crackling of a flame, and a sharp cry made a smile curve on the other's lips. Roy was on his knees, panting, while Bradley's shimmering sword was run through his left shoulder. Bradley held a firm hold on the grip of the protruding weapon._

_"Now that's better," He smiled. "I guess this won't be all… because I want to hear just a little more."_

_Another curdling scream produced a glint of delight in Bradley's eyes as he examined his bloody blade, letting the red drip onto his bare hands. He had little remorse for the red liquid on himself. He had spilled far too many of it before, he didn't care._

_Bradley flung away the swords, knowing that Roy was in sure defeat if both his hands were incapable of moving. He tore away the white gloves, discarding them in the nearest bonfire. Assuming Roy could no longer snap out a single candlelight, Bradley stood up, and looked down with triumph._

_"Hm," A tone of descending interest. "I find you boring."_

_"G-guh…"_

_"Hm? You want something…"_

_"W-wrath… Remorseful… Wrath…"_

_The younger man's middle finger twitched uncontrollably, and made its way to the thumb, and a small brush between each other. Disbelieving to Bradley's eyes, a massive white spark was growing from the fingers._

_What was left was a firestorm of blue rage, the room was set aflame._

* * *

Riza opened the door, allowing Hohenheim to enter peacefully. A matron was tending to a young girl that Komui was crying over, but he let his mind wander to two patients in the corner.

One was a black haired man, asleep, and wrapped with many bandages. Another was the one of the blonde boys, sitting impatiently on the side of the bed. Hohenheim only saw the back of the boy's head.

Ed seemed to be talking to the sleeping patient. "Lieutenant, you may leave."

"Yes, sir."

Hohenheim assumed this boy had more authority than Riza, despite the age… and height difference. When Hawkeye surrounded the bed with curtains, they were left alone.

"I got a tipoff from Falman that you were in the building, Van Hohenheim of Xerxes," the boy said with a distinct tongue of disgust.

"Um… excuse me?" Hohenheim wanted the boy to turn around and talk to him, taking a few steps closer, but before he knew it, a metal fist was shoved into his face, sending him back instead. He massaged his nose, glad that it didn't break.

"You… damn excuse… for a father," the boy was venting his anger through heavy breathing. His eyes, the most striking feature to the old man, were glaring gold. So this boy was really…

"Edward…"

"No." Ed silenced his dad. "I know everything, bastard. Would you like me to retell you?"

"N-n…No…"

A father lectured by his son… that was expected…

He summed up his courage. "Where's Alphonse?"

"He's busy," Ed answered briskly.

"Please…"

"If you want to talk to my younger brother, you'll have to go through me, Roy, and Riza first. Especially me, though."

Hohenheim gulped, seeing that his oldest son was not making reunion easier for anyone.

"Tell me," Ed asked. "Did you come here to see Dorian Gray?"

"Somewhat…"

"I want a straight from you, Hohenheim," Ed's furrowed eyebrows made Hohenheim sweat bullets. "Yes, or No."

"Y-yes… but I can explain…"

"I don't want to hear the story from you in the first place!"

A slam of a fist on the bedside table, followed by worried whispers of passing nurses.

"Edward…" Hohenheim quietly pointed to Roy. "Don't you think you might wake him up?"

Seeing Ed's shaking automail arm made him silent. Ed turned around again, not facing him. Hohenheim wished that Alphonse was here instead of Ed, but he didn't even know how Alphonse would say it.

"But I didn't learn this yet," Ed's voice quavered. "Where the hell were you when Mom died? Where were you when Al cried because I was the 'only one left in the family?' Where were you when I saw the Millennium Earl? Where were you when… when I made THAT happen? You worry about people finding out about your damn long life, but I… I…"

Ed supported himself on the bedpost. "You… damn… bastard…"

Then the ice wall began to melt. The Eastern Sage heard small chokes and sniffles. Edward's shoulders were trembling furiously, and his feet seemed about to go weak.

"Ed… ward…" Hohenheim stuttered, but a small cough startled him. Attention was turned to the once asleep patient, who was now trying to get up in bed.

"Edward," the black haired man sighed. "Please…"

The blonde boy looked up, and he nodded, quickly flinging aside the curtains as he departed. The black haired man watched worriedly as he heard a young girl asking Ed about his face.

"I'm sorry…" the man turned to Hohenheim, who was already in shambles of the short yet meaningful act. "My apprentice is very hard-shelled… I'm Roy Mustang…"

"I… am… Van Hohenheim…"

* * *

Alphonse looked up from the bed, and Kanda watched him.

"Something wrong?"

"I felt a presence…" Al described. "It was so… nostalgic… Ed's spirit is somewhat unstable, like he's been crying…"

"The Shorty is… crying…?" Kanda looked at the younger boy, stunned at Al's words… Ed… the hotheaded brat… was crying…?

"He does cry, moron," Al went to his work, examining Allen's Innocence. "You know everyone has emotions… Out of the family… Although I seem to be more emotional, it's the opposite. Ed wears a mask when he's with strangers to cover up that he's still hurting from past experiences he never let anyone heal for him. I ask why, but he calls them reminders. I'm glad people like Winry are getting more involved in his life… He's a bit more open… if my dad came… he would've broken down a lot more… I should see Ed after we're done with this… this should be the second to last thing to check."

"Hn." Kanda nodded promptly, but he noticed something odd.

"Um… Alphonse…"

"Hm?"

"You should check this here…"

"Oh… again?"

"Yeah… I think there's more to this…"

Alphonse looked over again, and saw his report, seeing his findings and his second observation with more detail.

"Oh dear…" Alphonse gulped.

"Hm?" Kanda looked at the report Al had finished. He clenched his teeth at the assumption. He was no doctor, but this was glaring obvious.

* * *

"S-sorry…" Hohenheim bowed before leaving Roy, footsteps scurrying as fast as possible. Riza walked in, and was suddenly apologizing and asking questions, but she didn't shed tear yet.

"Where's Edward?" Riza asked. Roy shook his head.

"That Hohenheim was his father," Roy nodded. "I'm sure you know what had happened. The Matron is helping him, and Winry's getting here, too. He'll be here shortly."

"Hello, sir."

Mustang saw Alphonse and Kanda, who seemed slightly not so happy, and he understood.

"The report, right?"

"I need to announce this in private," Al murmured. "All the high officers need to come. That means the generals and Exorcists."

"I would like to see the report before it's given to everyone else, please," Roy held out his hand, and Alphonse instead placed it on his lap, knowing his fingers wouldn't hold. Roy perused it, but he then looked at Al in a concerned tone."

"And?"

Alphonse gripped his clothing, and Kanda grit his teeth.

"Allen… his vocal chords… are completely damaged. I will proceed to heal them, but he… won't be able to say a word… from the trauma…"

Roy nodded, but when he saw the last words, he immediately dropped the clipboard in shock.

"What… the… hell… was this…?"

Alphonse and Kanda shifted uncomfortably.

"Allen… well…"

* * *

"Hohenheim," Link noticed the depressed grimace. "You're not well, are you?"

"Yes…" Hohenheim nodded. Leverrier set down his tea. They retreated to a private study hidden away from most people. Only high officials knew the location.

"Edward is indeed the most sensitive of the two Elrics," He noted. "I've been working with him for a few years. He's quite a hard-worker, but he doesn't like to open himself to others. His brother does a lot of talking for him. I'm glad he's able to recover from his injuries that caused the loss of of his limbs, but that was only physical, not mental."

"He… lost them in torture, didn't he," Hohenheim added, and Leverrier nodded.

"Edward probably dislikes you because of this," He said. "The tortures were the aftermath of Order 3066. I've done some research with him, and we've found you were the one who made the spark of it all. Besides the fact that a new category of Exorcists was formed, controversy was planted, too."

"Yes…" Hohenheim nodded. "It was me… but I could have changed that. Had I not prematurely left the team of scientists, this wouldn't have happened."

"But…" Leverrier said. "The past is the past. If Order 3066 wasn't passed, Edward could've resorted to becoming an Akuma after the botched plan of resurrecting her mother through alchemy. Two killing machines could have been born. Roy wouldn't have risen to the high position he is now as my coworker, and the Silver Shield would not have existed, and neither would this very building. Please understand that you did contribute something good for us all in some way."

"Th-thank you… Malcolm…"

"As for the 14th…" Link reminded them.

"Ah, yes," Leverrier nodded. "I hear you have been acquaintances with the 14th. Would you care to fill in the gaps of the story? Such as… why Mana Walker died before you besides the fact that you both consumed that immortality potion equally? What happened between you three?"

"Mana stayed with the 14th," Hohenheim began. "I lost contact with them, so I went into hiding for the meantime. Throughout history, Mana and Dorian were on the run from the Earl, with the highest fourteen members of the Noah being resurrected multiple times, except for Adam. Dreams, or Road Kamelot, was resurrected once, taking the body of a young Exorcist a few centuries before by the name of Avalon Dante.

"It wasn't until a hundred years ago, I found the 14th and Mana again, and we reformed the trio… It was quite funny… we tried to think of a name… and we called ourselves the Yatagarasu for some reason. Dorian found the name during his travels… a three-legged raven… the sun… Quite odd how we said yes to it anyway.

"Since Mana used more energy to stay alive than I did, he exhausted his life supply, and perished earlier. I've done little work and received little damage, so I have some more to go. But I'm not the one leading this battle. Since the 14th is in another vessel again, he probably had to change gears, and let three other people be this group we made."

"You mean those related to you three…" Link gasped. "Like… Edward, Alphonse, and Walker?"

"Indeed." Hohenheim laid back on the chair. "I do not know what his next move is yet, since Dorian hasn't resurfaced in a long time. But I have a way to do so, without having to lose Allen."

"There's a way?" Leverrier sat up quickly, eager to know.

"It's a tricky form of channeling," Hohenheim was alarmed by Leverrier's sudden move. "You see…"

"Mr. Leverrier!"

A door was opened quickly, with Olivia Armstrong marching through. "Mustang asks for all high officers and Exorcists to meet at Private Ward 2. He was moved there just today."

Leverrier got up and with Link following, left the room. The door shut on Hohenheim. He had the choice to go, but to see Edward like that… He shouldn't step in fully yet…

* * *

Winry waited outside the Ward, listening in. She heard cuts, bruises, stitches… She knew all those would happen.

"I healed Allen's vocal chords, but he won't be speaking at all for another couple months. We'll need to help him as much as possible so he can recover quickly…"

"So, Allen is mute," Winry noted to herself, zoning out of the clamor of voices inside.

"There is more… unfortunately," Al continued. "Allen Walker had…"

The last word made Winry jump out of her seat, and at the same time the crowd gained more volume.

"Outrageous!"

"What the hell!"

"Why did that bastard…"

"Allen! He…"

"Wait."

Kanda's voice silenced them all. Winry took the courage to open the door slightly, seeing Kanda facing everyone. Kanda frowned, like usual, but with less viciousness.

"Like Alphonse said," He said angrily. "We'll all help him. But if you idiots keep talking, nothing's going to get done, damnit. So is that all, Alphonse?"

"Yes, it is," Alphonse nodded. Ed said nothing. Roy then saw conclusion.

They discussed more subjects, such as what to do with recovery, and other things, but those weren't going to last in Winry's memory for long. The fact that Allen… she shook it away. Nothing was going to stop them from getting Allen back to his usual self. She barely conversed with the boy, but she knew he deserved this support…

She was sitting outside, so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the meeting was dismissed, and Ed was the first one out. The golden blonde was watching Winry think, staring at her unblinkingly. Alphonse had rushed away to Allen's room, not noticing anything else. Kanda walked behind closely. Ed was alone with Winry…

"Winry…" He snapped her back to reality.

"Oh, Edward!" Winry got up. "How was it?"

"I didn't need to tell you," Ed sighed. "You were listening anyway."

Winry stopped the joyful act, and folded her arms.

"Ed… Allen… he…"

"Yeah…" Ed looked away. "He survived it all, too. I bet the next thing we'll deal with is therapy for his suicidal behavior, if we're unlucky."

Ed felt the arms wrapping around his neck, and he stooped slightly to rest his chin on Winry's shoulder. Allen and Edward were the same. They were closed away from society and left for dead, but Ed recovered. What about Allen, who had gone through this two times, with more brutality than the Fullmetal Alchemist?

"Ed…" Winry talked to him closely. "You'll help him, won't you?"

"I will." Ed sighed. "What else am I supposed to do?"

**A/N: This story is going to stay as T-rated as possible, and I'm careful not to cross the line, but those of you who probably knew what I implied, good job. Those who don't, you'll learn later. Now I make Bradley a total bastard and Leverrier a nice guy. Link's nice, too. Too bad that's probably not so true in the actual DGM universe itself. Don't worry! not all of Allen's injuries will happen again in the yullen adaptation. Trust me, the plot is radically different. Yep. Poor Allen... he really got messed up... now the guy's a mute for a while, too. Yay! Big Yullen implication and EdxWinry moment!**

**Next Chapter: Equilibrium: Hohenheim confronts Alphonse, who surprisingly (no, obviously) welcomes him, and tells him everything that has happened. Lenalee is still in some shock of the news, and Ed, Winry, and Lavi help her out. Roy calls the Black Order to report news, getting several reactions from everyone. Cross, who actually attended the meeting, watches his apprentice, conversing with kanda, who is supposed to be Al's temporary assistant during his recovery. Hohenheim then performs the channeling that will help communication with Dorian, and learns of Roy's theory of helping Allen with sustaining his Noah side, but the channeling turns everything around, and a new plan must be made.**

**Oh, as for the Yullen fans who just can't wait for the story yet. I've decided, since I'm going to be updating super slow from now on, i'm might put up an occasional excerpt. So here's one. a funny one, to brighten up things.**

**preview for Intangible Essence:****  
**

"Yuu…" Lavi pointed at Kanda's hand, "Why are you wearing a ring?"

Kanda glanced at the silver band on his finger, and scowled as he hid it from view, hands digging into his pockets. He had forgotten his gloves.

"Nothing." The man tried to pretend he was watching the countryside outside the window.

"Aw… Yuu…" Lavi teased. "Don't tell me you've proposed to someone…"

Lenalee began to giggle at the thought, and Road smiled. The Elric Brothers were too close to laughing.

"I said," Kanda answered sharply. "It's nothing. What with you and rings, anyway?"

"Kanda," Ed smiled. "Don't avoid the question. You proposed to someone…?"

Kanda, for the first time, flushed bright red, and shook his head quickly. Lavi was smiling, and was about to tease him more until he admitted it, but Kanda revealed the hand with the silver ring.

"Yes, I did propose to someone," Kanda sighed exasperatedly. Everyone's eyes flickered with interest.

"You did…?"

Kanda shot them a cold stare, not wanting any more questions. Then Lavi took it further.

"Yuu, who did you-"

"I'm not telling you idiots." Kanda watched the window. "It's between me and her."

After that, the others speculated who was this "special someone" Kanda had.

"I bet it's Claire," Lavi said aloud. "You've been a lot more mellow when she came-"

"Shut up," Kanda growled. "She came last week and no, it's not her."

Lavi sighed... Guess he think further.

"Hm... how about Winry?"

This earned Lavi a big beating from Ed and Al, who started screaming that Kanda and Winry barely knew each other.

"How about... Rose?"

"She's engaged to someone else, moron!" Ed bashed him over the head again, and Lavi was groaning from his bruises.

"Fine, then who the heck is it, Yuu?"

Kanda didn't answer, and pretended he didn't hear anything, but the Bookman Junior saw through it all. He decided to throw the samurai off course a bit.

"How about Allen? He's adorable, you know!"

"WHAAAA?"

Everyone stared at the redhead in astonishment. (Remember, guys, no one except Kanda and possibly Ed knows that Allen's a girl here)

"Are you crazy?" Al shouted. "Allen's a guy! You should know better than that!"

"Yeah, Lavi," Ed played along. "I'm sure Kanda's not that screwed."

"Fine, fine..." Lavi laid back in defeat, then he noticed a shocked look on Kanda's face. "Aha! Kanda! It's true, isn't it? You're engaged to Allen!"

Kanda stood up abruptly, and left the compartment, fuming as he went. The door was slammed on the others.

"Nice job, Lavi," Lenalee smiled. "I've never seen Kanda blush so much before!"

"Um..." Road asked quietly. "Kanda isn't... 'screwed...' is he...?"

"It was a joke," Lavi brushed it off. "Don't worry. It's not like he's planned to get married at all."

But boy were they wrong...

**The first chapter of the story is close to completion, and I felt the urge to add a character from another universe for no reason into the series, so I guess I'll make a poll some time soon. It will keep going until this story ends the next one is launched. This extra character will make frequent appearances in the story. The character will probably retain their original abilities/powers/skills, but I might change it a bit as I had done with the concept of Alchemy being a type of Innocence. So the choices are here:**

**1) Gilbert Nightray from Pandora Hearts  
**

**2) Miles Edgeworth from Phoenix Wright (probably because he dresses so old fashioned anyway)**

**3) Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass (Haha... so time-inconsistent)**

**4) Ciel Phantomhive from Black Butler  
**

**5) Vongola Primo from Reborn!**

**6) or Tsuna (Because he's cute half the time, and badass the other half)  
**

**7) Jack Vessalius from Pandora Hearts**

**I'm setting up a poll really soon, so several of the choices above will appear. Good luck deciding!**

**... Aha!**

**I finally set up the poll, and now, remember, you get two choices, first choice and second choice. If I feel like it, I'll keep small updates of which guy's in the lead.  
**


	27. Equilibrium

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 27 – Equilibrium**

_

* * *

The restless sound of a beeping monitor stirred the conscience of a white haired patient. His fingers curled as he took in a deep breath, signifying his arrival to reality once more. The murmurs and footsteps echoed multiple times in his sensitive ears._

_Allen's eyes fluttered open slightly, meeting the gaze of two concerned Inspectors. His head was still swimming slightly from the beating, and his back was aching so badly..._

_ "Are you all right, Walker?" Link asked, and got a small nod from the boy. The two officers both sighed in relief, and Link went off to order more nurses to tend to the Destroyer of Time. Leverrier remained in a small seat beside the Exorcist's bed, and stroked Allen's head with his palm._

_ The boy was fragile, he noted. It was so amazing he kept his head together for several months, with everyone's help. Leverrier was sure Bradley could come out of nowhere again so he had kept himself posted next to Allen frequently. If not Leverrier, then Link._

_ "T…Than…k… Yo…u."_

_ Leverrier nodded, smiling wistfully, warning the boy not to speak. The boy never truly had a real father, with Mana possibly only caring for his brother, and Cross the drunkard… From observations he learned before, Allen seemed to be at more ease with Leverrier himself than the other two now…_

_ "Hang in there, Allen Walker…" He said sincerely. "We'll get you to the Silver Shield soon…"_

_ Allen gave a small nod and sunk back to sleep with a small smile. Leverrier sighed. The world was a cruel place… to allow a child to lose his parents twice, be pushed away by others, and be admonished for a gift he had… The boy was persistent… That was a good trait._

* * *

"Allen…" Lenalee sank into her chair. The boy had been harmed in more ways than one, and nothing good would come out of that. Road had returned from the meeting, still pale from the knowledge. Alphonse had already left to tend to Allen.

They were resting in a study that the Elrics used frequently. As expected, most of the latest and oldest books fit the boys' interests: Alchemy, Ancient History, Codes, and Science. The walls were lined with them.

"Lenalee…" Road tried to call for her, but no answer came. It was only a few seconds later when she did hear a word.

"Allen will be okay…" A fist clenched. "He's been through a lot of pain with us before. I'm sure he'll pull through."

"That's good," Road smiled, and looked upon the table of the Elric's study. _Mutus Liber…_ She found this interesting.

* * *

"Oi, brat."

Kanda twitched. Gripping his clipboard, he faced the red haired General.

"What?" He asked irritably.

"You got a minute?"

Kanda stared at the IV bag, and then to the man sitting next to the patient. He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Yeah, I'll listen," He set his clipboard down.

"You feel sorry for the idiot here, don't you?"

Kanda seemed alarmed at this, but he calmed down and stared at the boy. "Yeah, I do. When the shorty channeled us, I witnessed fragments of his memory that took place when he was locked away."

"You think it's similar to how you became an Exorcist? Of course, you lived horrible lives back then, and then there was someone to pick you up, but then… you ended up killing that person, whom you end up loving. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're right," Kanda frowned. "But everyone's the same here. We've all seen something that we shouldn't have. That's the reason the Black Order was formed."

"I see you did your reading," Cross laid back on the chair. "No wonder Tiedoll thinks highly of you."

This only earned a scowl from the long haired man. "But I'd like to ask, Kanda: Do you think Allen will get out of this?"

"It's obvious," Kanda said. "The guy does whatever he wants. He'll want his sanity back for sure. By now he's probably not going to talk, and he'll probably act even more like a brat. I've already witnessed a good share of his memories when Ed was channeling us through bean sprout's mind. Besides, that 'Nea' guy was helping him, so that's not really much to worry about."

"The 14th?" Cross looked surprised and went back to his usual lazy gaze. "I'd imagined he'd do that."

"A Noah? Helping Allen?"

"Two reasons," Cross smiled. "The 14th wouldn't want his container to stop his awakening, and two… well… it's a personal thing…"

"And you won't tell me?" Kanda picked up the clipboard again.

"Looks like it," Cross sighed, getting up to grab a bottle of Romanee Conti, possibly.

* * *

Dorian walked about the healing village square as the rocks and fountains were rebuilding themselves again. Soon this city will not be so lonely anymore, and people, such as that charming young lady with green hair herself, will be bounding the streets. The war of the mind was over, and all that's left was the recuperation.

"Alchemy really does have its uses…" He said to himself.

Meanwhile, a young boy with brown hair and silver eyes looked up at him, titling his head in wonder. Dorian smiled, picking up the boy like a caring father.

"Of course, you helped, too," Dorian made the boy smile. "Little Allen."

The boy giggled slightly, quite happy with a so called brother with him. Dorian looked up at the setting sky. Soon the village will be filled with people, and the Exorcists will get him out and hear the truth. Trust was a very delicate matter for Nea, after all that had happened.

When he joined with his brother and best friend to form the trio that would vow to take down the Earl, he knew fully well that the rest of the Noah would stop at nothing to find their heads. The enemy sent disguised Akuma in the hopes of fooling him to trust a stranger, but those plans never worked later on. The three had become more reserved, less talkative, not exactly warm and welcome as they had been before.

As for the real Allen… He couldn't blame Allen for being so wary of himself, either…

_

* * *

Allen woke up in his own inner world again, a dark space of nothing. At least for him it was better than reality where Central officers unleashed hell on him. The only problem for him was that ever since he learned of the 14__th__, he always dreamt of sitting in a grand marble chair, chains wrapping around his small body like an Akuma's soul bound to its container. He tried to wrestle out of the bindings, only to be stopped by a pair of chains wound about his neck._

_ Seeing his fruitless attempt failing, Allen waited patiently for the next recurring moment of his dreams, the appearance of a young man, greatly resembling Tyki, but his hair cut short, no beauty mark under his left eye, and a bit more childish stride unlike the majestic steps of the Pleasure. Poor boy couldn't help but notice how much the man's overcoat seemed like the one the Earl wore. Everything was familiar, but he barely recalled anything._

_ "Are you okay, Allen?" the Noah asked, and Allen didn't move, merely frowning. All Noah were horrible, so what was the point?_

_ "I don't need anything, Nea," Allen snorted. Dorian Nea Walker. The man had introduced himself a few months back, but to no avail would Allen succumb to the kindness, let alone let the Noah take away his chains. The boy had been around the cruelness of Noah for so long, he probably forgot the little ounce of human and hope that lived in the long-lived family of Noah._

_ "Allen…" Dorian frowned. "I'm pretty sure you want to get out of that already…"_

_ "I don't need your help, Nea," Allen said bitterly. "I'd be happy to tell you how my life has been for the past years, but I'm can't trust someone who wants to take my body and become the Earl to release me."_

_ "And you were so nice when I first met you…" Nea sighed in defeat, but his eyes wore an urgent gleam now. "Allen, please… I'll have to let you out, or else he'll come."_

_ His warning was met with an awkward silence._

_ "Who?" Allen asked flatly. Dorian sighed._

_ "I was listening in on the conversation between Leverrier and Link yesterday," he said quietly. "Another Inspector was trying to take you, and they were trying their best to keep you safe."_

_ "Yeah, right," Allen snorted. "You call a beating a second 'safe'?"_

_ "That wasn't Leverrier, you know," Nea looked at the boy's defiant silver eyes. "That was the other inspector I was talking about just now."_

_ Allen let out an irritated huff, and looked away. The boy heard him, all right, but he wasn't willing to accept any help. Seeing this conversation was going nowhere, Dorian took the initiative. _

_ He approached the white haired boy, and with a flick of his wrist, the chains that engulfed the grand throne faltered. Allen only got up and was about to tackle Nea down when a raise of a hand called ceasefire._

"_The man they were protecting you from just broke in, and you're in his possession. I was able to look at his face a bit, and I sensed danger. The man can break into mental barriers, Allen. He could be around here right now."_

_ Allen closed his eyes for a moment, scanning through all perimeters of his inner world, and stared at the older man, shocked at his report._

_ "He is here," Allen looked at the door of the dark room. "We need to get away, fast."_

_ Dorian smiled slightly, happy that Allen saw things his way now. Once they made their way out of the high tower, they noticed the pristine condition of the Ark, a beautiful white city that no one inhabited. Dorian's lingering glance did not go unnoticed by the young Exorcist._

_ "You wanted something?" Allen put a straightforward assumption._

_ "You need more than swinging around your sword to win a battle, little Allen," Dorian grinned. "I remember your little fight with that Level 4… You should try being like that Bakanda. I think he is probably better than you at strategies and fighting. It's a wonder you still live to this day, ne?"_

_ "Shut up, Nea," Allen growled. "You're like an idiot with a mind of Lavi!"_

_ "Alright, then," Dorian sighed. "Here's this. With the little time we have, I'll have to train you so that way we can fight that man if he comes back. We can stall enough time for your friends to find you. That clear?"_

_ "Whatever, Earl wannabe," Allen turned around. "I'll train."_

_ "Hey," Nea sighed at the boy's snarky behavior even as an invalid. "I have a different purpose for Akuma, you know!"_

_ "Then explain the fact that you dress like that fat man!" Allen shouted back, running off to nowhere. "Are you planning to gain weight, too?"_

_ "Hey! I'll get you for that!" Dorian began to run after Allen, who was already a mile ahead. They treated each other like brothers, just like Dorian had with Mana…_

_

* * *

The "days" passed, and Allen progressed. While Allen in reality was in a very long coma, he had more time to stay in his mental universe. Dorian was satisfied with the boy's newfound coordination and skill. He had first started with a simple sword that Dorian had transmuted from one of the rubble. Now he was in full swing with his one Crown Clown's sword, putting more thought of calculation than just feeling and resolve._

_Nea was getting warmed up himself, too. It had been a long time since he bothered to train when Hohenheim and Mana were still around, and the run from the Noah was still ongoing. They trained daily, with little regret, and they succeeded to hid themselves away from the rest of the Noah for centuries._

_Now, the two boys were resting in a spare room. Allen was lounging on the couch, while Nea was eyeing the piano that sat opposite the couch._

"_I wonder when that General will jump out," Allen thought aloud, but a small intent shook his mind, and he spun on his feet. Nea noticed this, too._

"_Run," He commanded, and the other was already sprinting towards the door._

"_Ahaha…" a new voice resonated in the room. "I'm afraid your decision to run will be annulled."_

_ A shuffle of footsteps made them shrink back, backs colliding, and eyes sharp. Immediately, Dorian looked to the left, and with a small snap of the fingers, an explosion erupted on the side of that vast room. A small shout of pain alerted them to get moving._

_ "Quick!" Allen shouted, and Dorian complied, clapping his hands together and creating a large pillar shooting out of the ground. They burst through the ceiling, and jumped off at a high altitude, and they were sent plummeting. Dorian grit his teeth for his illogical decision, but Allen found the solution._

_ "Crown Clown!"_

_ The two reached the ground to be cushioned by a cloak of white. Allen and Nea landed on their feet, respecting the teamwork._

_ "He's gone," they said at once. Dorian then turned to Allen._

_ "He won't be coming back soon," He said happily. "If that man gets hurt in your mind, he'll have to take a long time to recover."_

_ Allen nodded, turning his attention over to the vast white city. "Yeah…"_

* * *

Roy and Hohenheim sat in the second study, accompanied by Leverrier, Komui, Hughes, and Riza. They watched carefully as the two men shifted uncomfortably in their seats, trying to stare each other down. The reason why? Probably a contest of "who's the better father for the Elrics," but Roy would win anyways, so that wasn't the reason. Still, this was quite funny for the subordinates watching…

"Balancing, eh?" Hohenheim's glasses glinted. "You sure take the Law of Alchemy too seriously."

"Well said," Roy smirked. "But it still should work."

"Do you truly have a method for this? How are you going to balance Allen and Dorian's soul at the same time in Allen's body?"

A silence fell, and Riza and Hughes held their breaths. Obviously, Roy was hesitant (all this was a half-baked idea), and he was not going to give a straight answer, but Hohenheim beat him to it.

"I'd like to propose a new idea."

"And what is it?" Roy asked.

"I hope you have done your research on the House of Xerxes."

"Thank your sons for that. There was barely any material to start with, but we found the entire thing eventually."

Hohenheim nodded. "Good. I'll explain. With me being a Alchemist of pure Xerxian blood-"

"Your alchemic power is superior to all." Roy completed the sentence.

"Yes, and back to the concept of channeling. Ed and Alphonse, as half-Xerxians, have the most potential out of all Alchemic Exorcists to achieve the power level close to a pureblood, but not enough to perform a certain technique of channeling."

"Please go on."

"This technique is separating two souls from one body by giving the soul that is depending on the other a body of its own. Back at the time when Xerxes existed, the Noah house sought assistance from Xerxes to transfer the souls of the original 14 Noah from one body to another when the power bond between soul and body began to lessen.

"Alchemists developed a technique of channeling to complete the transfer, and later on, the Noah evolved to be able to transfer the 14 souls on their own. But after the House of Xerxes was reduced to ashes, the Noah began to regress, finding the transfer of souls more difficult by the century. Now, the Noah have plenty of trouble trying to transfer souls to a body of their own choice, and they are already aware of this.

"In the transformation of Noah, the body chosen is random, and in time, the body will digress to that of a Noah. In Allen's case, because the 14th did not truly bother to transfer his soul to another body, he has lost the ability to chose which body he landed in. He probably needs the help of an Alchemist with enough power."

"So you can separate the 14th from Allen Walker?" Leverrier asked. Hohenheim nodded.

"I can, but not quite. This is only temporary in a sense. The existence of the 14th's tangible body can only be true if Allen's body is not destroyed. If that really does happen, the bond between soul and body will be broken, and the 14th will have to spend another decade dormant in someone else's body before awakening. We don't have much time before the Earl does anything on a large scale, so the separation is necessary. Hopefully, if the time comes, we can fully separate Allen from the Noah."

Komui's eyes beamed with relief, seeing how Allen will be safe after all, once he recovers from his injuries. Leverrier was pleased, glad that the war would be close to its end.

"We'll begin this tomorrow," Roy got up from his seat. "Would you like to tell Al about this first? He's the one in charge of Allen's care."

"Um… yes…" Hohenheim stared at the floor. Roy saw the uneasiness, and smiled. Ever since Ed's outburst upon seeing his biological father, the man became very nervous upon the mention of the Elrics.

"I'm sure Al will be happy to see you," He said to raise the other's hopes. "Ed is just being himself. He hasn't seen you in a long time."

"Oh… right…"

* * *

A scratching of a fountain pen echoed in the silent ward, along with the slow beeping of the heart monitor. Al skimmed through the list of medical papers. He was proud of his staff, who were competent to give exceptional reports so he didn't have to take a second look. This made things a lot easier. All he had to do was read, and sign. Simple and easy.

"Um… Alphonse?"

The said boy looked up from his work, and smiled. Hohenheim was peering through the ward door, hoping not to disturb anyone. Al could see that the poor man was slightly terrified of stepping inside.

"Oh, Dad, welcome back," He pointed to the seat before him. "The air outside the ward must be pretty cold. You should come inside."

"Ah… right…"

For a moment, Al watched his father timidly let the door creak. He remembered how he used to be, the shy little boy who hid behind Ed whenever trouble passed by. Now he remembered where that shyness came from…

Hohenheim slowly made his way across, avoid eye contact with the younger Elric. Al only laughed.

"There's nothing to be scared about, Dad," He smiled. "Just take a seat."

Hohenheim stopped, and finally looked at him, his eyes asking, "What about Ed?"

"Brother will be fine," Al sighed, surprising his father with his answer.

Hohenheim took this as a welcome, finally, and sat down. Al finished signing some papers, set his fountain pen down. Hohenheim fidgeted with his thumbs. What to say? What to say? He's standing in front of his son, and he was speechless. Well, the boy had grown, so why can't he say "You grown quite a lot…" No, that was too common… How about… "I see you duties are quite demanding…" What? That was not fatherly! The mental battle raged on until a small creak from the door caught their attention.

"Alphonse?" A head peered from the door, purple locks dangling. The two turned their attention to the newcomer. Al smiled at her, and she beamed back.

"Road?" Hohenheim asked, and the Noah meekly entered the room with two mugs seated on a silver tray.

"Jeremy wanted me to deliver these to you," She said quietly, directing most of her eye contact with Alphonse, who nodded.

"Thank you," Al took both the mugs and set it down on Allen's bedside table. Road couldn't help but wear a small tinge of pink.

Alphonse noticed that she was standing there staring blankly at him. With a small hint of mischief, he got up, and pecked her on the cheek. This startled the girl as she fumbled with the empty tray. She looked up at Alphonse, who was standing right beside her. Her eyes questioned his actions, and the boy laughed.

"You were staring into space," he smiled. "I had to wake you up somehow."

Road was on her way to getting her face to take on a color of tomato red. Then her face slackened, and she returned a content smile. Road gave Alphonse a curt hug and then backed away quickly, eyeing the door.

"I… um… I'll be leaving now…" She stammered before quickly rushing out of the ward. Hohenheim watched the previous happenings, stunned by the interaction. Even more, Road Kamelot was here?

Alphonse noticed how shocked his father looked, and began stammering profusely as Hohenheim blinked.

"I didn't know Road was here with you," He was still gaping at the door. He then turned to his red-faced son.

"That was quite shocking. Usually, Road doesn't talk with others. She merely plays with them until they break (I find that quite disturbing). I'm happy she's warmed up a bit. But what's with the display of-"

"Oh… um… we're sorta close…" Alphonse couldn't get any redder.

Hohenheim smiled at his son's bashfulness. But once he turned his attention to his plans, Alphonse's eyes turned stone, and he listened with great vigilance.

"I see…" Alphonse nodded. "I can arrange that, but please make it quick."

"Of course, Alphonse," Hohenheim nodded back, and looked away. Alphonse noticed the wistful look on the man's face, so he cleared his throat.

"If you're thinking about brother," Al suggested, and Hohenheim looked back with surprised eyes. "You shouldn't be so worked up about it. Brother's been having a rough life these days, being an Inspector (Major). If he were a little more free, he probably would have been more nicer."

"I understand," Hohenheim looked at the floor. "I left when you two were around three, and I don't think Trisha would be able to explain anything to you so young."

"But I welcome you anyway," Alphonse smiled. "Your life after leaving Mom must have been really hard. You should at least have someone who's happy to see you."

"Thank you, Alphonse," the Sage smiled for once. This exchange met silence until a small stir from Allen's bed startled them. Allen rolled his head over slightly, still unconscious.

"The poor boy…" Hohenheim thought. "Trying to suppress Nea…"

**A/N: Finally! and everyone rejoices! and yeah, Leverrier is another daddy for Allen-kun (never will happen in the manga, and probably anywhere else)! I've actually finished some more pieces on DA, so feel free to check them out (they're not related to FMA or DGM, but they're pretty! unless you love the secret saturdays and pokemon rangers, then you do have a reason to see them for sure).  
**

**As the poll, it's still open, but I've narrowed down the choices. The only choices left are Gil, Tsuna, Giotto, Lelouch, and Jack. You can still vote. And the poll closes when this story ends (I'll have a chapter or two done on Veteran's Day break).  
**

**Another sneak peek into Intangible Essence:  
**

"Kanda? What are you reading?"

Allen pored over the small text. "Hm…"

Seeing that she couldn't read it well, she changed her attention to a stack of books. She examined the names on the spines. At least she got the basic idea.

"These are about medicine, aren't they? You're going to be a doctor?"

"Go away, bean sprout," Kanda growled.

"Kanda…" the girl sighed. "I didn't know you could read …"

Allen expected a snarky comment, but she heard a book closed gently and placed on the train seat. Kanda faced her with his cobalt eyes.

"Tiedoll taught me how to read and write," He explained. "The General was actually once a professor in the arts before becoming an Exorcist. All of his students know this. He also told me to study a profession. He thinks that the war will end soon, and that we'll have to get real jobs by then. With this, I have an alternative job... It's troublesome, studying in between missions and training, but the old guy is right anyways…"

"Do you like studying medicine?" Allen asked. Kanda looked up to think, and averted his gaze to the girl again.

"I guess I do… Marie is into music. Daisya was going to a scientist, but that's done for… Chaoji plans to be part of the shipmaking industry or something…"

Allen smiled. Tiedoll's students were so… accomplished… Life was set out for them… everything.

"I've never really had formal education… Mana only taught me the basics…"

Kanda raised an eyebrow.

"Hn. I'll teach you, then. Fortunately, this book isn't about medicine, so it won't be so boring."

Allen stared wide-eyed at the samurai as if he had grown two heads.

"What? You? Teach me?"

"Why not?" Kanda shrugged. "It's probably better me than anyone else… right?"

Seeing Allen's small nod, Kanda picked up his book, and pointed to where it had been placed.

"Come here."

Allen quickly got up. As soon as she sat down, Kanda motioned for her to sit closer. There, Allen saw the opportunity to rest on Kanda's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her. Together they began the book aloud, enveloped in a new world…

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…"

**I actually checked, and Hoshino said that Kanda is the dumbest of the four main characters, but I changed it all with the power of fanfiction. So Kanda's a doctor (and maybe a hot one).**

**Upcoming Arc:**

**After Allen awakens and recovers, Nea emerges in a corporeal form before the Order, and plans to help Allen discover his motives (because Nea loves puzzles). He introduces Allen to music and the code of music, but being the bastard (As Ed dubs him) he is, he lets the others do the work for him. Ed finds a man within the Shield's ranks who owns a vast archive of musical codes. His name... is Shou Tucker.  
**

**Review, please! I need suggestions because I'm getting some writer's block right now!  
**


	28. Equilibrium II

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 28 – Equilibrium II**

* * *

"How long do you intend on staying here?" Kanda asked, and Lenalee shot up from her seat. "You've been at this for an hour already. Was Elric's study too boring for you?"

In fact, the emerald haired girl had been sitting in a chair beside Allen's bed, staring at the IV pouch ever since she got there. If Kanda remembered correctly, she did hear Al's shocking report about Allen's condition. The next hour, she made it her duty to stay by his bedside, even sleeping there if she wanted to. Al said nothing to bother her, much to Kanda's dismay. Lenalee shouldn't be seeing Allen right now. The poor girl didn't want to look at Allen's face anyway. His broken form would only break her. Al was busy dealing with certain papers about the others' injuries.

"No…" Lenalee mumbled. "I'm just waiting for Allen to wake up."

"He's not waking anytime soon," Al directed her to the door. "Besides, Mustang has some business with Allen, so you might as well leave before you met face to face with a very persistent General."

"Oh…" She nodded, and promptly left, leaving the two young men in the ward. Al could only sigh and watch the sleeping boy.

"Hopefully he wakes up," He said. "Lenalee's been visiting every hour or so."

* * *

As an Inspector, and a high rank of the Shield, a young man like Ed himself owned an office of his own. It wasn't as spacious as Roy's, for Ed had a much smaller staff who didn't exactly work directly in his office. Books took up most of the room. Usually, those books were the ones he found personally most intriguing and was more worthy to be by his side rather than his personal study that he shared with his brother.

Luckily, his desk was quite neat, unlike Roy's or Komui's, although he didn't much paperwork anyways. Ed was always out on the field, and it was usually his fault that Roy got more paperwork than usual, especially on Fridays when Ed normally got back from a mission.

The door swung open as Riza walked in with a few files Roy felt like passing on to Ed. Ed looked up from his desk, and nodded.

"Morning, Edward," She greeted him, approaching the desk.

"Morning, Riza," He smiled and took the files. Most of the time, he took the files without any complaints. The boy understood that he had extra time while his mentor didn't, so he willingly made work more efficient around headquarters.

"Um… do you know where to put these?" Ed handed her a yellow envelope, and she read it.

"Repair damages?" She looked up at him.

"Yeah," Ed laughed nervously. "Lavi made a big hole in the training room yesterday… It nearly wrecked the control room, and now the rain simulation won't turn off. Fury was able to shut it down for now, so we won't be using it any time soon…"

Riza agreed, "Lavi must have been quite relieved yet guilty after Allen came back... all of them must be… Kanda is busying himself with helping Al. Lenalee and Road are helping Jeremy in the kitchen, and Komui even called his own headquarters to send him a good share of his paperwork to sign and send back. Lavi is probably training right now… He's already finished his lesson with Bookman. They must really be trying to work themselves raw to get their minds off of Allen."

"Yeah… But it's better, actually. If we failed to find or save Allen back then, they'd probably be a lot worse than today."

Ed returned to his work, when Riza remembered something that was happening that day.

"Aren't you going to oversee the body transfer?" Riza asked. Ed wasn't present when Hohenheim told his idea, and Al probably didn't tell Ed either because the two were so busy…

"Roy told me about it this morning," Ed broke her train of thought. "I don't think I'll want to go see it."

"But you're a high official."

"Roy's my superior. He can tell me later."

"But isn't your father going to be there?" Riza questioned him. "And what if the extraction doesn't work?"

"He's not really my father," Ed looked over the new documents he was given. "Didn't I tell you that? And I'm sure it will work. Nea will appear, and we'll have to teach Allen to walk and talk again."

Riza sighed at the boy's persistence to reject Hohenheim. Well, the man did leave the Elrics and their mother when they were five, and he didn't come to save them four years ago, and he sure didn't bother coming to them when he knew where they were for a long time. Ed never stated who would seem like a father for him, but out of all the people Ed's worked with, she'd bet that Ed secretly preferred Roy, his own mentor, to be the father out of their makeshift family here at the Shield. He'd never call Roy "dad" but the emphasis of concern for the man was still there. Roy was the one who filled in all the positions Hohenheim should have done, and he was doing a good job at it. But Ed still needed to consider again. He didn't know what Hohenheim was doing when he was away; Riza didn't know, either, but still…

"Haven't you thought a single bit about Hohenheim when he got here?" Riza continued. "He's been wanting to see you lately…"

A long silence answered her challenge, until Ed pursed his lips and looked up from his desk with resolute eyes, his frown unchanged. A small twinkle flashed through his eyes.

"Then tell him where my office is later on? I think I'll be finishing some of Roy's paperwork, so I won't be attending the meeting at the ward. Plus, I have a small appointment with Winry in twenty minutes."

"I'll make sure he knows your office, sir," Riza smiled. Fullmetal had many ways of saying "yes."

* * *

The doors of Allen's room slid open again, and Roy and the rest of the officials arrived, along with Hohenheim. There was a small exchange between the family, but not much otherwise. Kanda and Al said nothing, for they had been told about the situation.

Everyone cleared the area, enough for Hohenheim to not feel the tension, and only focus on freeing the 14th.

"You ready?" Al asked. He wasn't sure himself if the process was possible, but like Mustang, he had to put his utmost trust.

Hohenheim nodded, and he clapped his hands, and same familiar hum coming from his fingers. His hands hovered over Allen's chest, and the boy began to glow purple, reminding everyone of the purple glow that emitted from dark matter. Hohenheim shut his eyes, and moved his hands up, as if pulling something. The purple light seemed to struggle to cling onto Allen, but it complied, and the purple-black light moved up, away from Allen's body. He jerked his hands to the side, and the black aura did so, too, landing on the ground like a person landing on his feet. The black matter shifted again, this time to imitate the figure of a man standing casually, leaning on one foot slightly.

With a deep crack, the black figure gained color, and a man with a young gray face stood before them. His hair was short, brown, and unkempt. His long tan coat was still rustling, as if a wind had just blown him in. The man wore a gray pinstriped vest over his white dress shirt, equipped with a green tie that was loosely hanging from his neck. His golden eyes darted about the ward, surprised by his surroundings. His gray hands twitched, itching to attack, but with no weapon. But one word made its way to the watchers: Noah.

The Noah was quite surprised that he ended up in Allen's ward, but he seemed to recognized everyone as soon as he set eyes on his sleeping container. Roy slipped on his gloves, as reassurance that no one got hurt if the newcomer decided to turn back on them. Hohenheim thought otherwise. It was such a long time… a very long time since they traveled together…

"Good evening, ladies and gents," the 14th bowed gracefully, tipping his black top hat. "I am Nea 'Dorian' Walker, the 14th of the Noah Clan. I'm very pleased to meet you…"

"Quite a gentlemanly character," Falman observed under his breath. Mustang sighed in exasperation.

"Nea…" Hohenheim gasped. The man nodded to him, giving him a look that happy reunions will have to come later. Komui, Link, Leverrier, and Lavi were left speechless at the Noah's presence.

"I apologize for the trouble I have caused you," Nea looked at Allen's sleeping figure. "And for Allen, too."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Mr. 14th," Roy calmly stated. "We're quite fortunate to meet you."

Roy couldn't say "fortunate to be allies with you" just yet. He knew that Nea had some distrust in the Order somehow, and that won't be different for the Shield, either. He still had family connections to the Noah, and trusting the organization that planned to hunt down your family wasn't a good idea yet.

"Ah… yes…" Nea looked back at Allen.

After a quite stimulating conversation of the happenings at the Shield, and Hohenheim's plan to help Allen, Nea decided to speak once again.

"After speaking with Allen for over a year," Nea explained. "I have come to fully understand the meaning of the situation. I interfered several times because I only awakened when Allen lost his Innocence and regained it again. I wasn't given a full explanation until a year ago. I didn't trust the Order enough…"

"Nea," Hohenheim sighed. "We've understood already. You don't have to say that."

"Van…" Nea looked unblinkingly at an old friend.

"I'm sure Mana was happy…"

"That I'm alive?"

"You are his brother, after all… He cares for you, like any brother, right?"

"I guess so…"

"So will you help us?" Roy asked with some impatience. Those two were too wrapped up in their world, the rest of the staff was disregarded.

"I will, but under certain circumstances…" Nea said carefully. "After all, we are supposed to be enemies…"

Roy couldn't help but roll his eyes. If Noah were this hard to negotiate with, he couldn't imagine talking deals with the Earl. Once again, he was glad Edward didn't come to this meeting…

* * *

"There," Winry patted Ed's automail port. "That should be all."

Ed sat on a steel table in the middle of the room, surrounded by the many tools and parts that his mechanic used and treasured. Usually Winry would let him set in the cot in the corner, but this time, she made him sit on the metal table. He sometimes slapped himself for noting such trivial movements, but this wasn't the first time she's done this… Every time she noticed something upsetting in Ed, she put him through full-course therapy talking, and he hated that. A lot. But he'll just have to go with the flow again.

"Thanks, Winry," Ed avoided her gaze, and she raised and eyebrow in response.

"Goodness, Ed. You've been like this for the past couple hours ever since your father came here. That's not all, you come in running into my lab with tears in your eyes. That's not like you at all."

"Of course that's not normal," Ed rolled his eyes.

"Then what is bothering you?" Winry asked. "Are you just so hard-headed you can't forgive your father for leaving your family, and also being the cause of this whole mess about Alchemists and the Church?"

Ed kept his head bowed, not answering. She sighed in defeat, picking up her toolbox and walking away from the table to place it on the shelf.

"I'm just not sure."

Winry stopped midway in climbing down the small ladder, and turned her head slightly to see his head. Ed was still staring at the floor, and his hands were wrung upon his knees, fingers slightly twitching without thought.

"I really… don't know anymore… I don't remember anything about him at all… So I wonder… why should he be my 'father'…? I have everyone here, and they're a lot better than him… Hell, even Roy should be considered my dad… Just that… he shows up…"

Ed covered his face with both hands, his voice choking… and he began to mutter incoherent things. Winry finally descended the ladder and climbed the table to sit right next to Ed.

"It's okay… Ed… let it all out…"

* * *

"Damn… I wonder if it was even a good idea for that body transfer…" Roy sighed to himself in exasperation. "Two hours already, and that man's already a handful…"

Sure enough, Nea was worse than Lavi. He had nearly pulled Allen's IV cord by accident. This caused a lot of anguish on both Allen and Al's part (Allen began thrashing unconsciously for no apparent reason, and Al went ballistic that one of his patients was going crazy). Nea then nearly broke the elevator by jabbing at the buttons too much as he was going up the elevator to find his room. Reever nearly lost it when he himself was in the elevator and he was sent plunging in free fall. Not only that, on the way, he rearranged Ed's books when he somehow got into Ed's room, only to be caught by Lavi. He reasoned that Ed's books were not in the correct color code and weren't symmetrical (was he some perfectionist?). Still, he caused more troubles by accident, such as causing Jeremy the cook to burn his hand and nearly busting the training room that Ed had assigned Brosh to fix one hour ago… come to think of it, how in the world could that Noah travel so fast? Even Road couldn't run at that speed.

Roy sauntered down the halls from the medical facility to his own office, passing by his proud science department, where his close friend Hughes commanded avid scientists, and mechanics. If he remembered correctly, Winry's workshop and offices are somewhere down this very hall.

Sure enough, the plaque he saw earlier said "Rockbell." This hall brought many memories. Ever since the mission he and his student began real missions four years ago, Ed had been suffering more nightmares than usual. The poor boy already had tons of those whenever he tried to sleep. They had gone so severe; Roy resorted to almost completely wiping Ed's memory of their experiences in the first months of his missions, which turned out to be less pleasant than they should have been. But he became stronger, and he didn't need to lose anything (he regained his memories by the second year of their big grand mission before they came to the Order a few months ago). But that didn't keep away the nightmares.

Ed stayed up late frequently, and he would be scolded by Roy himself whenever he tried to avoid sleep. He usually got lost in a mansion so big like this, and he wandered into Winry's workshop, where the girl worked overnight very frequently. As strong as he was, he had to depend on someone, too. Winry was there, Roy would come in an hour later, and Riza, Hughes, and everyone else afterwards. They were Ed's makeshift family. They helped him feel better from those horrid nightmares.

Hughes always teased Roy about not getting a wife and having children yet. Well, how was he going to if he traveled so much? He had a war to win, not a love to find… Then came the concept of children… he never thought once about having children, but he was already satisfied anyways… he had both Ed and Al. He was willing to take them in. Yes, he was already a proud father. Well, as for the wife part… Riza would shoot him senseless he asked her.

As he continued to think and digress, he stopped right beside Winry's workshop, and he heard someone sobbing quietly, and Winry's soothing voice. He recognized the weeper, and his throat tightened. Did Ed have another nightmare when he was sleeping during work? Then he recalled everything. The day when Roy was hospital-ridden, and Ed had come to visit him and Hohenheim arrived… he still remembered the moment Ed was broken down to tears, and stormed out the room.

Roy knocked on the door softly.

"Ed?" He called quietly, and the small sobs stopped instantly. The doors opened right after, and he met the bright blue eyes of Fullmetal's mechanic. He peered past her shoulder, and saw the boy sitting on the table, his head shielded away by his golden bangs. So the boy's gone and done it again…

"Ed… We need to get back to my office… it was successful… the transfer, I mean…"

* * *

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the room as the door creaked open, and Roy and Ed slipped through the doors, which Hawkeye took the liberty to close behind them. Both Exorcists' staff was standing on either side of the room, in perfect line, saluting stiffly. Komui, Leverrier and Link nearby Roy's desk, waiting patiently as Roy made his way to his chair. Ed took a spot next to Komui. He felt the wary eyes of the Supervisor on him, particularly his face.

"Were you crying, Edward?" Komui whispered, and Ed looked up sharply, startled by the man's perception. Komui closed his eyes in understanding, not waiting for a verbal answer from Ed. Both of them turned their attention to the two men at the sofa before his desk: his biological father, Hohenheim, and Nea, whom he had seen back in Allen's mind. Ed averted his eyes elsewhere, noticing from the corner his eye a smirk coming from the 14th.

Roy looked through a packet of papers and looked up to the two men.

"Ah, yes, the orders," He cleared his throat. "Do you want the exact words or just a nice short explanation?"

"I like the exact wording," Nea smiled. Roy rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"All right," Roy sighed. "Welcome, both of you, to the headquarters of the Silver Shield. I trust that you have gone far on your journey. I hope your stay here will as pleasant as possible."

Ed listened to Roy ramble on and on, until a new statement caught his ears.

"Following your arrival to this building, you'll be assigned as part of Edward Elric's staff. Ross, Brosh, and Armstrong will be happy to have you."

Ed gawked, but he knew better than just to point and shout about why his father was going to be a subordinate of his? What the hell was Roy thinking?

He listened to more of Roy's ramblings about rules, but he guessed Ed was becoming really tired of this… And no one was cutting in? Ed palmed his face. How bad was it, the bystander effect…?

"And as for the dorm rooms and… oh, what the heck," Roy scowled, and tossed a massive book on both men's laps. "This is a copy of the regulations, read it and return it next week."

Ed heard a big relief wash over all of the staff.

"Dismissed," Roy let out another deep sigh. Everyone immediately filed out, and Lavi arrived shortly with a pile of papers. Roy face faulted at the sight of more work, his face pale from speaking for so long without taking any breath.

"What's wrong with him?" Lavi asked Ed.

"Introductory speech," Ed rolled his eyes. Lavi then seemed to recall something.

"Oh, I need to tell you something. I don't think it will bother you, but just in case…"

At a low whisper, Lavi relayed the small bit of information, and Ed nodded, his face suddenly frowning or being surprised at moments. Then the final expression was an aggravated frown, and he huffed in annoyance, and Lavi went ahead to dump the pile of papers on Roy's desk, while poor Roy was still struggling to get back to his seat. Ed was ready to leave, when a hand landed on his shoulder.

Ed fiercely glared at his own father, who was smiling and hoping the tense atmosphere would go away.

"Um… Edward?" he asked. "Can you lead me to your office? I might want to know where it is, so I don't get lost. You think you can help your old man a bit?"

"Didn't Hawkeye tell you?"

"I'm sorry, but who is Hawkeye?"

Ed clenched his teeth. She had set him up, and now he had to face his real father now… Ed hesitated, still glaring. He noticed Roy giving him a more encouraging look, more like puppy eyes that said, "Don't make life harder for me! I just talked for an hour and now I have papers!"

"Fine," Ed looked away. "Let's get going."

They were just about to go down the hallway, when a certain Noah gotten wind of where Ed was going. His head poked out from the office doors.

"Hey, what about me?" Nea asked. This caused Ed to spin on his feet, his face boiling red.

"No way, you jerk!" Fullmetal shouted across the hall. "I'm not going to help you because you messed up my bookshelf! Lavi told me a few seconds ago!"

Nea watched father and son leave, and he thought to himself. He had just finished exploring most parts of the castle (in less than three hours, are you crazy!), and he must have forgotten something. Then he remembered… food.

"Oh! The cafeteria!" He began to bound his way to the elevator. Roy heard Nea's gleeful idea, and turned to Falman, who had stopped at his desk with some more papers.

"Falman, can you keep watch on the 14th for me? Make sure he doesn't smash something in the hall, especially that suit of armor that Winry made."

* * *

"Here, it's behind this door," Ed knocked lightly on the wood. Hohenheim watched his son turn on his heel and go back the other direction he came, muttering incoherently about books and sorting.

"Ed?"

The boy stopped walking, but didn't look back. "What?"

"Have you been… happy here?"

Ed spent a few seconds pondering that question, and he finally spoke. "I don't know. I feel indifferent at this point, but I'll be saying that everything has been fine."

Ed began to walk away with more speed, leaving Hohenheim behind in the empty corridor. Ed probably was frustrated, the Sage thought. But the man was happy anyway that Ed said something more than just insults and curses. Hohenheim was tempted to open the doors to snoop through his things, like any parent would do, but he respected his son's privacy, and left it be, walking in the same direction Ed went.

* * *

Lenalee silently made her way to the cafeteria, only focusing on where she was going. For the past few days, she kept forgetting where it was, and since the Shield was so big, she could hardly keep track of how many rooms she passed. A kind Finder, generally Havoc, who usually walked around headquarters, would tell her where to go, and she thanked them back.

In the back of her mind, she could only think of Allen. Was he going to be fine? As much as she wanted to believe so, she couldn't help but think something horrible would happen, involving Allen. She didn't like to remember that she couldn't remember him. All Lenalee could do was wait, and she silently took a tray for food.

Usually there were so many members of the Shield lounging around in the cafeteria, but from what Lenalee could see, most of them wore the standard navy uniforms, or black shirts and combat boots. Those who dressed differently she could notice really well. For example, Ed tended to wear a red longcoat with purely black clothing underneath it, and the Exorcists who came with her kept with their own uniforms. She scanned the rather lengthy line of people… She groaned in annoyance that she'll have to wait a while…

"Are you in line, miss?"

Lenalee turned around, and her face blanched. Nea Walker was standing right before her, in the same clothing as she had seen him in Allen's world. Why was he here? What was the Shield doing? They didn't tell her about this!

"Oh! Hello, Miss Lenalee," Nea bowed. Lenalee merely stood there, ready to drop the empty tray and run for her life, but she didn't move and she didn't speak. Nea looked up and tilted his head slightly.

"Um… Miss Lenalee? Are you okay?"

Lenalee snapped out of her dazed state. "Ah! I'm fine!"

"Hm… Allen did tell me you get flustered easily…" Nea sighed. "Should have known better…"

"I-It's nothing!" Lenalee held onto her tray, and moved along with the line, grateful that no one had cut in front of her as she was held back by Nea. Nervously, she bit her lip.

"You look like you have some burning question you haven't asked me yet," Nea stated blankly. "Care to share it with me?"

Lenalee muttered quickly. "How did you get here?"

Nea caught it, and he answered, "Quite simple, actually. Edward's father came yesterday and used alchemy to separate me and Allen so that I can walk around these grounds. Ah, I'm also Edward's 'subordinate' from now on."

It took a while for Lenalee to register all that Nea had said. "Edward's father is here?"

"Yeah… his name's Hohenheim. You know… blonde hair, gold eyes… has glasses… looks like an older version of Edward."

The girl wasn't sure if she even saw that type of man…

"I thought Ed hated his dad."

Nea thought for a bit. "I don't know anything about that."

"So you're allowed to be here?"

"Pretty much."

Lenalee nodded and turned away from him. She bit her lip nervously. So she was supposed to treat a Noah like a friend… She was fine with Road, because Road technically no longer had her Noah self, per se, but the 14th here was fully Noah, an enemy of the Black Order. Something serious must have happened for Mustang to allow a Noah to run about the headquarters.

"Um… Miss Lenalee?"

"Yes?" the girl didn't look back.

"Would you mind telling me how Road is doing?"

Lenalee sighed. "I will, if you can drop the 'Miss,' please."

**A/N: Yay! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have another story that's the prequel to this one! Please check the archives if you haven't! High school has so much homework! I have homework over the weekends... and all this SAT prep stuff, and so on... I got so bored during class, I actually began drafting that manga I put on hold on DA. Now when I scan it on, and add vectors to it, it should be a little better.**

**As for the confusion with names for the 14th, I'm sticking with Nea. Let's just say that Dorian was a fake name he took when he was going on a journey with Mana and Hohenheim, who probably had fake names, too. I mean, if you're running away from the Noah, at least change your name to something more common like Dorian rather than some really strange name that's not common in Europe like Nea.  
**

**Then recently, I was talking with my friends about yaoi because one of them accidentally read one doujinshi when she started FMA... her reaction was really funny.  
**

**The poll's still going, so if you haven't voted for the extra character, please pick your best two! This poll will be lasting all the way to the end of this story (maybe less).**

**Plz review! and suggestions are still welcome (except for any yaoi or yuri stuff. As much as some of us all want to see kanda and allen kiss each other some time soon, we'll be saving that for Intangible Essence)  
**


	29. A Daydream

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 29 – A Daydream**

* * *

_Ed bit his lip as he watched his subordinates walk about the prison chamber. It was only a few hours they had liberated the castle of Bradley, and only a few hours when Allen was rescued. Ed demanded to return to these chambers for extra inspection, much to he objections of both Mustang and Hohenheim (but why would he listen to Hohenheim anyway?). It was only Hawkeye who allowed him to go see the room. With the help of Road, Ed was able go back. Ross, Brosh, and Armstrong came along, with Hughes, who insisted that "a young boy like [Ed] could not go without at least several adults."_

_ Now he was in the small prison chamber where they had found Allen. At that time, he didn't see all of the room, and he passed out right when he finished probing Allen's mind. He briefly remembered something like large circle somewhere in that stray memory. He was quite suspicious of that. What could an Exorcist like Allen would have any relation to alchemy?_

_Armstrong, who was accompanying him, held up a large lamp above his head. Ed knelt down, checked the floor again. It was clear. The blood here wasn't splayed randomly as if Allen would have been beaten. If he was beaten, then that would explain that corner with the blood puddles and chains. But the blood trail was far too organized, almost a clearly curved line. Unless…_

"_Major," Ed called out for the man. "Can you shine the light over here a bit more… this lamp is too weak to light the whole room."_

"_Yes, sir."_

_The hazy light floated over the curved line of blood, but that was all. An unfinished stroke. Ed furrowed his eyebrows. This was something bigger. He was sure of it._

"_Are you ready to go, Elric?" Armstrong asked. "The stench of this place is overwhelming."_

_Ed shook his head. There was more! What about the walls!_

_He scampered to the stone, and was in the dark again. His hand fell upon the texture of chains, and cuffs. On the wall? Did they pin Allen to the wall for a short time? The smell of blood was even stronger here, and he turned around._

"_Major!" He shouted. "What about here?"_

_Armstrong reluctantly came further and shed light on that wall, only for that lamp to drop in shock. The two were left in silence, save for the small bouncing of the lamp. Ed was pale, pupils dilating. Armstrong covered his eyes in shame. Both were trembling and ready to fall over._

"_This… can't be… that circle…" Ed muttered. "Why… such extents… why…"_

_He shot up from the ground. "We need to tell Al before he presents that report!"_

* * *

The Fullmetal Alchemist flipped yet another page in his blank travel log, or his notes. He wanted to write something about his findings and that circle in that chamber, but even after a day or two he felt sick at the thought of it. He looked at his right shoulder and then to his left knee. A human transmutation circle, that was all it took for him to lose a leg, and then lose an arm the second time. But how… how could it just appear in that chamber? And they made Allen do it, too…

"Brother?" Al knocked on the door.

"Come in."

The younger Elric stepped in, still in a borrowed lab coat, with a few folders in his hand.

"Hello, Al," Ed brightened from the misery of paperwork. "How is the infirmary?"

"Quite fine, actually," Al nodded. "I was going to leave some reports for you read."

"Oh… thanks…" Ed nodded, and the door clicked right after.

Over ten of the reports were mostly cuts, burns, bruises, broken arms and legs, and some hits to the head. Only some of the Finders were in comas. Finally… Allen Walker. The pages were lined with notes about bruises cuts and broken bones in all of the boys body. But nothing was missing. No internal organs, either… Allen didn't seem to lose anything, did he…

Ed thumbed through Allen's file once more. Al had indeed mentioned the human transmutation possibility, but there was no sign of an unusual loss of body parts. This puzzled the alchemist very deeply. If what the circle he saw was correct, then what did Allen lose?

* * *

Lenalee kept her gaze away from Neah, who was too busy whirling around to take a look at a nearby gargoyle in the hall. She grit her teeth in frustration. Should she be very welcome to an "ally" like she had been with any other new addition to the Order? Should she shun him as a Noah, like she should be? Her thoughts were muddled with the mantra: He's a Noah… He's a Noah…

"Um… M- I mean… Lenalee," Neah caught her wary attention. "I think Road is around that way."

He pointed to the small they just passed by. If Lenalee remembered correctly, this led to the Elrics' study, where she had been sitting with Road earlier. Surely, the former Noah should have gotten bored of sitting amongst books just to go outside for fresh air. But it couldn't hurt to check.

"Um… right…" She muttered as she led the 14th down the small hallway, eventually arriving at the rather grand doors of a small library. She hesitantly opened the doors, only to hear the soft purr of cats. Cats? In a study?

"Road…?" She walked in quietly, with Neah following. "Are you here?"

"Oh, you came back, Lenalee?" Road answered back. Lenalee sighed. So she really did stay here after all. "Lenalee, look at them! They're very adorable!"

Neah seemed more happy, and he rushed past Lenalee, and found his sister sitting on a couch, with a litter of kittens climbing about the furniture. Road was playfully stroking the back of a young tabby that was sitting on her lap. But she looked up at the familiar face. She seemed unfazed from any shock from recognizing Neah, excepting the small gasp.

"Road…" Neah waved his hand slightly. "Remember me…?"

"... Who are you…?" Road raised an eyebrow. Lenalee took the initiative.

"Road, this is Neah. He's the 14th Noah. He's your brother, I believe?"

"I don't remember having a brother named Neah…" Road looked up in thought. "If you're related to the Ninth, I'm sure she would remember you…"

"So you're not Road, the Dreams of Noah?" Neah asked disappointedly.

"I'm sorry, I've only resurfaced after a long time," Road explained. "The Ninth will be happy to see you, but I have yet to exercise my power to transition between myself and the Noah at will."

"I see," Neah nodded, but he immediately picked up the nearest cat that was exploring the Tiffany lamp on the small table near the couch. Lenalee wondered if Neah was trying to get rid of the sad feelings of being forgotten. "Hey, there, little fel-"

"MEOW!"

Road and Lenalee winced at the screeching and yelping of a tormented cat and man were heard. Lenalee allowed another kitten to crawl onto her lap, and she stroked up subconsciously, watching Neah attempt to pry off the cat from his face.

"It seems he's not very much like Alphonse…" Road sighed. "I wonder if animals dislike Noahs…"

Lenalee nodded.

* * *

"Hey… Al, what's with that cat?" Lavi pointed at the small calico that had a ribbon about its neck.

"It's one of my pets," Al smiled. "I tend to play some music outside, so I pick up a bunch of animals, mostly cats."

"Don't you get any other animals other than cats?" Lavi asked.

"Um… yeah, but brother doesn't let me keep them in the mansion," Al sighed. "I do get some small puppies in the backyard, some birds (mind you, that was how Mustang got a falcon for a pet), an owl (I play at night sometimes), one time I had a turtle and a pair of wolves…"

"Wolves?"

"Yeah… they're actually quite adorable when they listen to music."

Lavi was quite alarmed. "What instrument do you play?"

"Um… A flute I got from China on my travels there… It's quite nice. A very kind man who used to live in Japan taught me how to play it… I think he lives in Italy now. I think he has lots of animal friends, too."

"Hm… I'd like to meet this guy…"

"But I have lots of cats," Al smiled at the calico he held. "Brother and the General try to limit the number of cats I keep…"

Lavi paused, but then asked. "How many do you have…?"

"Around ten."

"Whoa!" Lavi backed away from Al slightly. "You keep that many?"

"Jeremy loves to feed them, so I don't mind," Al nodded, petting the calico which purred in response. "They like to hang around our study, so I set up a place for them to stay nearby. Surprisingly, nothing has been destroyed."

"Probably your brother fixes it all for you before you walk in."

"Possibly…" Al drifted off.

They entered the small corridor that led into his study. He swiftly opened the door and set the cat down on the floor.

"Here you go, little guy," He smiles, and looked up at Lenalee, Road, and Neah, who were staring at him.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Elric," Neah was still trying to get the cat off his head. "Your cats don't seem to like me very much…"

"Oh…" Al nodded. "Um… Crookshanks, you can get off of him, now."

The orange cat pounced off from Neah's face and landed on the carpet with ease, and strutted away from the group. Al laughed nervously.

"He's always like that," He explained. "He's the most intelligent out of all my cats, and he can't help but feel protective of me. He probably knows you're a Noah and proceeded to attack you…"

"Animals are all smart these days, huh…" Neah sighed. "Throughout my life, cats all hated me, and I think they're the only animals that do…"

"Alphonse, you're back from the infirmary," Road smiled. "Is Allen okay?"

"He's fine," Al nodded with a smile on his face. "He's quite well on his recovery. All the minor injuries are completely gone, and all that leaves is his broken bones. He sure recovers fast."

"That's what good about his Innocence," Lenalee added. "He gets a little boost in healing when it comes to that…"

"Well, let's hope he's fully recovered by the end of this month," Al grinned. "Then we can truly get on with business."

Road gave an appreciative smile to Al, who was pink at her gaze, and Neah looked between the two of them. Lenalee giggled and Lavi was snickering.

"Are you two together or something?" Neah asked, earning many sputters and denials from both of them.

"W-why do you ask…?" Al finally put himself together.

"Just so you know," Neah laid back on the sofa, hands behind his head. "Anything funny with my sister, and you're toast."

Lavi shivered at the Noah's cold reply, instantly reminded of another overprotective brother. Lenalee on sighed in exasperation. Road and Al only turned red. Al then snapped out of his daze and turned to Lavi.

"Oh, the training room has fixed, so you can use it now."

"But what about my arm?"

"Meet me at the infirmary," Al smiled. "I'll arrange a small treatment for you."

Lavi wasn't too sure about the offer, but he nodded in acknowledgement anyways.

* * *

Hohenheim continued his grand exploration of the Silver Shield Headquarters. Surprisingly, he saw no alchemy experiments around the Science Division, to which the workers replied that their "Colonel" Elric wouldn't allow them to do such things, but only a select few were allowed to look through his research notes. He felt accomplished anyways. Two days ago, he was able to get Ed to talk to him in a less cold tone. Hohenheim loved the progress he made.

Everyone was quite kind, especially to the fact that he was Edward's father. The scientists worked a little harder when he passed by. The bumbling receptionist smiled and bowed to him every time he approached her desk. The cook was happy to have another customer. The intel department dropped their flustered act and went to real work when he peered around the cubicles. He was beginning to feel like a small celebrity.

"That's because you're the Western Sage," someone seemed to read his mind. "Everyone knows about what you did for the Exorcist community."

He turned around, only to see his own son, Ed, standing right behind him, hands digging into his large pockets, red long coat draped over his shoulders. He looked bored and sounded more intent on shutting himself up in his little office rather than making a round about the building.

"Oh, Edward," Hohenheim smiled.

"I take you know the layout of this building?" Ed looked up at his father, who shook his head.

"Only the basics parts, though…"

A small scroll was thrust into his large hands, and Ed merely passed by him afterward, not looking back.

"You might need that map. I've heard people get lost easily in these halls."

The Western Sage watched his son casually wave a small hand back at him, and then continued walking. He opened the small scroll, finding a very detailed map of the area, with every single nook and cranny drawn out, and labeled. This must have been Ed's edition of the place.

"T-Thank you…" Hohenheim smiled softly.

* * *

With a startled gasp, Tyki jumped out of his bed. He looked about himself. He was still in the Noah mansion. He sighed in relief. The Noah traced the small line of crosses around his forehead. They were actually hurting for once. He gazed at the big mirror beside his dresser, and saw a strange imprint of human hands on his neck. Did someone strangle him before? But shouldn't these marks be fading?

Then he remembered. They did disappear, but that was a special circumstance. He vaguely remember how he even got these bruises, and he racked his mind endlessly. He then gave up, and decided to visit Wisely, wondering the fellow Noah could look through his memories and tell him how these scars returned.

He closed the door quietly behind him and traversed the long winding staircase done to the grand foyer. The Earl owned a bizarre home with multiple stairways that bent at different angles. Walls were painted a eerie purple and the paintings were that of poor humans in pain. It only appeared this way to Akuma and Noah, but to a normal human who wished to visit the Earl, it was a grand mansion with gold and crimson drapery, and large portraits of kings and queens of old. Perspective was the main focus of this little mansion, but he'd rather prefer the queen's large stupid grin than a screaming prisoner.

He went through another dark hall where the moon sometimes lit an open window, and he basked in the warmer feel of it. For some reason, it felt better than that cold dark. He wondered if it had anything to do with the fact about the Noah once being associated with the moon, and the house of Xerxes was the sun. He wondered…

"Finally…" He muttered as he approached a pair of black doors. He pushed both of them opened, and let them swing behind him as he walked through. A Noah with striped turbans was sitting cross-legged in mid air, thoroughly absorbed in a book. The Ninth Disciple looked up, and the book merely vanished from his hand.

"What brings you here, dear brother?"

"Oh, not much," Tyki smiled. "I'd like you to look through my memories of any battles that happened before… I seem to have gotten these bruises just an hour ago, and I can't seem to make them go away."

Wisely raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Shouldn't you be addressing the Earl about his?"

"I don't feel like it."

"Fine," Wisely rolled his eyes as he hesitantly landed on the floor and pointed at the armchair. "Sit there, and I'll looked through your memories."

* * *

Lavi watched in amazement as Al pressed a hand on the small circle he made under his left arm, and immediately, after a small jolt of electricity going through his veins, he felt the small pop of bones realigning themselves together. The long flash of light stopped, and he looked at his arm. The cast had been removed, and after some testing, his arm seemed just like normal.

"Thank you!" Al gave his friend a big hug, but then titled his head in confusion.

"You know… if you could do that… Why didn't you do that in the first place?"

"Merely healing instantly like that wouldn't help," Al sighed. "You wouldn't learn to not break your arm, would you?"

Lavi should have gawked at Al's harsh lesson, but he said nothing. He was far too grateful.

"Thanks, Al," Lavi nodded, and exited the room. Conveniently, Kanda walked in with a pile of reports to put on Al's temporary workplace. Al nodded in return, and took the first report from the top of the pile to read.

"You should have made him wait longer," He muttered. Al smiled.

"I was being nice," He answered. "Maybe you should try it sometime. You're always acting cold to everyone most of the time. You'll find Alma someday. I promise."

"I'm not being mean because I can't find Alma yet," Kanda growled.

"Then here's this," Al kept smiling. "You're afraid you think are similar to Alma will go away, just like him, right?"

"No, it isn't," Kanda shook his head.

"You're getting a bit more defiant there," Al set down his pen. "You're lying."

Kanda merely huffed and walked out the door without as much as saying a bitter retort. Al shrugged and merely went back to work.

* * *

Olivia wasn't the type to eavesdrop or spy on others. It went against her code of honor and dignity, as any Armstrong should think. She tapped on the hilt of her mighty saber strapped about her waist, as she leaned on the wall, waiting for something. All she heard were angry mutters, and a slamming of something made of glass. Luckily, nothing broke yet.

Normally, she would send Miles to do this type of job for her: looking out for people, but she somehow felt it was her duty to see the situation for herself. She peered over the corner of the door, to find a sober redheaded General slouched over on the small round table he had in his room. His favorite wine, Romanee Conti, was left unopened, and the glass was empty.

So he wasn't drunk, she thought, and she stepped in with the same proud air she carried with her all the time. She stood before Cross, who was still slumped over, his head facing the table.

"Can't bring yourself to even drink?" Olivia awakened the man from his unresponsive state. He said nothing, and she was sure she heard a small scowl.

She folded her arms, looking down at him with a stiff lip, wondering when the man would begin talking. He then wore a stupid grin.

"You know you look like you're pouting when you make that face."

At this moment, she should have bashed over the head with her sword, but she didn't bother. She was determined to get a better answer than that from the General. A few seconds, and she lost her patience. This time, she play the guessing game.

"You're depressed because your apprentice is injured."

"What are you talking about," Cross grumbled. "He's injured all the time. And I don't visit him when he is."

"I think otherwise," She pressed. "You've been under my command ever since you decided to estrange yourself the mainstream Order. And I've counted all the absences you've had to wander near the Order."

Cross didn't seem too surprised. From the woman who ordered him around since day one of his arrival to the Shield, it was expected she would know his every move. He hated looking emotional. It just wasn't his thing. The man would only scowl and grumble if he grieved and he would tease Tiedoll for bursting into tears every time Marie ends up hospitalized or losing that finger. Stupid Armstrong for butting into his personal feelings.

"So what if I did?" Cross challenged her, and received a huff of frustration. Olivia looked sideways to the window, which had been closed.

"I hate liars," She said briskly. "They aren't worthy to be subordinates of an Armstrong."

She spun on her heel and made her way for the door when she heard a rustle of a chair. She stopped short of her tracks.

"Don't even think about it," She growled, knowing Cross was going to attempt a reach at that Romanee Conti. "I hate drunks."

* * *

The Earl enjoyed watching people, but he was quite frustrated with the fact that he could no longer track down that group of Exorcists he was itching to play with. He had lost his chance to get his hands on the 14th in time. What if they had already found him? He wanted to slam his fist on the table as he glared at the crystal ball that allowed him to see all the movements of the Exorcist. All he saw were the vampire-like man, the one that could control time, and that other one that had a massive monkey. But where was the girl with boots? The boy with the sword? The Bookmen? Those three Alchemists?

He realized it. It was the same time Road had defected from the family that their names disappeared from the map. Perhaps the Noah of Dreams had cloaked them with some device that didn't allow the Earl to find them. The First Noah was now resenting the fact that he let such a valuable ally stray from his path and work against him. He cursed inwardly. But how could Road have masked the entire group? It was impossible. He was sure that those Alchemists took these Exorcists to some other stronghold, with many people in it. There was no way Road could mask all of them from him.

And what about that search for Hohenheim, that Eastern Sage he yearned to butcher. That man was nowhere to be seen. Already many centuries, and that excuse of a powerful man was able to hid his presence from him. He would rant and rave, and be comforted by Lulubell, but he still wouldn't stop. He had even asked for the help of his strongest Akuma: Envy. Envy… he was excellent replacement, but he didn't have the same qualities as a Noah. He seemed keener on killing madly, like any Akuma behaved. The very thing that set him apart was his human-like behavior. That he sought for as an ally.

Maybe he should try to get his hands on the Elrics? Surely, they'd be able to find their father. If only that stupid Road didn't mask them from him…

The doors immediately swung open, and Tyki and Wisely rushed in with urgency. Both were panting heavily, hands on their knees as they lurched over. The Earl looked up from his crystal ball, still preserving his nasty grin.

"What brings you here, Tyki… Wisely…?"

Wisely rose to his feet, shoulders sagging. Tyki was still recovering from a long run, much to the Earl's surprise.

"They're back…" He gasped. "He's back… he's back…"

"Who?" the earl asked.

"Him!" Wisely gasped. "The 14th… he's back…"

The Earl's eyes lightened. So Walker was overcome by the 14th's power, and now the final Noah had been unleashed? He was becoming more excited.

"How did you know?"

"Tyki came to me a few hours ago to ask me look into his memories," Wisely was still catching his breath. "He had marks on his necks, and I found it! The last appearance of the 14th, where he strangled Joyd to death! If these marks are back, that means Neah has come back! The Musician has returned!"

"Do you know where he is?" the Earl asked, but the two Noah shook their heads.

"We can only say that Neah is in Europe," Tyki finally spoke. "The amount of Akuma decreased substantially. That means the Order is aware of this, too, and they plan to liberate all of Europe so we don't have much chance of interfering."

The Earl began formulating his plan. Narrowed down to one continent, and all this would be a piece of cake.

"Send more Akuma in to Europe," the Earl smiled. "Try to Concentrate on Italy, since that's where the recent Order headquarters are!"

Envy silently walked in on the conversation, and he giggled silently in response. The old fool, that Adam, the Millennium Earl. He would find nothing, if he made this move. But Envy was even more satisfied. This gave him more freedom to go after those Elrics, that Sage, that Clown. The Noah were fools. He liked to think that way.

**A/N: Yay! A little Xmas present for all who love this story. I apologize for the boring moments in this story, since poor Allen didn't wake up, and the Earl is acting stupid, much to Envy's happiness. I've been occupying my boredom into Kingdom Hearts, which is actually awesome (I love Disney again, now). It's sad to see people who were important and had some development in their original canon not get any development in this story, because I have to stay consistent with the elements of the story and more character development on the FMA main characters of the story, since their background is totally different from the original canon. So to ease my sorrows, I made a little scene for Olivia and Cross, but I doubt very much people will want it there at all.**

**I'm still writing bits and bits of stuff for my other stories. RebornXDGM is at a complete standstill because I can't think of anything at all for it. Burning Water is also on hold because I'm working on this one, and I don't have time to rewatch every single Code Geass episode (I love GinoXkallen by the way). I did update RebornXFMA a bit more. I actually felt like going back to Pokemon, so I updated some of that, too. In other words, I'm really intent on finishing this before doing anything big on anything else involving fanficiton. Please bear with me, and hope that this story will finish after all with a beautiful ending and not some horribly hastily made one (See the one about Dark Signers as an example).**

**I'm still playing around with that MMD software, and I got these cool models of Kingdom Hearts characters, so I'm excited to use them. I'm getting better at making motions (My walking motions are exaggerated a bit, but it looks pretty human). It won't be long before I post a video of MMD models dancing in a ballroom. I've got some people who suggested that I should distribute that motion data, and they are happy to test it out for me. After mastering motion data, I'm going for editing physics on models (because some models don't have physics, and they look stiff when they walk w/o physics). I've heard there's a new way for MMD motion data, where you use an Xbox's Kinect to record your motions, which can be recorded onto MMD. Sounds crazy, but I have no Xbox, so that idea is dropped.**

**Anyways, I digress (wow, haven't used that phrase in ages). Winter Break! = more sleep + study + random cold + annoying science paper = undecided time to write fanfiction. I'm surprised I don't get much free time even during break (dad's really intent on making me do all those wonderful SAT prep stuff and this community service award I still haven't finished). currently i'm trying to do my work, but conveniently my little sister got in trouble, and dad's going ballistic. I apparently am not allowed the privilege to do work in my room, so it's the living room, and I have to use my earphones and listen to my Pandora to zone out from the yelling and crying.**

**And then I'm very sad in thought because I'm thinking that Road sounds like a Mary Sue (suddenly I've gotten a phobia of Mary Sues). I mean her name is bizarre, but she's definitely not a self-insert character (she is not any similar to me). *proceeds to bang head on wall a few more times* Geez, I need to get over this strange phobia.**

**Poll's still on. So if you haven't voted, please do.**


	30. A Drop of Grey

**Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 30 – A Drop of Grey**

* * *

Days passed, and the news of another Noah in the headquarters spread. All the officers within the Silver Shield became stiffer if any of the two Noah passed by with their Exorcists, and then ones that transferred here. It was fine, though, no skirmishes or any sort of commotion regarding the situation. Everyone was told of what was going on, just enough to ease the restlessness.

As for today, there were more sightings of the so-called 14th Noah strolling about the building with the younger Elric brother. It had been going on for at least a majority of the week now, and everyone had been whispering amongst themselves.

"Oh, to be a celebrity," Neah sighed in boredom as he overheard harsh whispers about him. "You're quite the lucky guy, Elric."

"It's nothing much," Alphonse kept walking ahead. "The Order's much more pleasant."

"Oh, really," Neah sarcastically replied.

Lately, everything was at a time-wrenching standstill since their main player of the game was not even awake, and the rest of the week was spent on training, eating, lounging in the libraries, and other useless things. Ocassionally, the Exorcists were sent out on short trips to liberate London of Akuma, but it wasn't really that important compared to what they had in hand.

Alphonse took notice of a granite gargoyle screeching out down at everyone below as they passed an open corridor. For the past few years, he himself had become quite exasperated with his brother's taste for architecture and like for Gothic styles: gargoyles here and there, not to mention a very intimidating dragon sculpture hidden somewhere in the halls. As much as everyone kept urging him to just use alchemy to change the place, Ed thoroughly refused, and Al didn't dare try to make any changes to the building. Speaking of his older brother, he wasn't around for the greater time being, and he was cooped up in their study or his office, working on something. Of course, the fact that Allen had been forced to commit human transmutation was appalling, but they couldn't do anything until he woke up. Not that it stopped Ed from just trying to find out anything else about the matter.

Alphonse then began to wonder what Allen lost. It obviously would not be an arm or a leg, like Ed. Maybe it was eyesight? He wasn't really sure, even when he checked Allen's eyes the other day, which wasn't much. Or perhaps it was voice? That wouldn't be a good thing, but Allen would be able to write something out if he needed to say anything, so that wasn't really a good price. Alphonse continued to delve more on the subject, until his head came into contact with something stone-like. The poor boy staggered backwards, tripping on his own feet before promptly hitting the marble floor with a loud thud.

Neah blinked at the groaning Elric, in deep concern. "Are you all right?"

"Ehehehe…" Al laughed nervously as he pulled himself up. "I'm fine… Just a little bit sore on the forehead."

Neah then stared suspiciously at the stray pillar in the middle of the hallway, puzzled. "What kind of idiot would put a random pillar in the middle of an empty hallway?"

"Oh, my brother…" Alphonse got up to his feet. "He placed it there to teach people to watch where they're going. And possibly to teach people to learn what it's like to be short compared to things that are 'freakishly tall.'"

"Just what kind of person is your brother?" Neah gawked.

"50% genius, and 50% Napoleon complex mixed with idiocy," the younger Elric muttered under his breath and continued along the hall. Neah tried to piece together what Alphonse meant, but gave up on it. By the time he stopped thinking, Al was already on the other side of the hall. Neah broke into a hasty run and waved his arms frantically, shouting for him to wait.

* * *

Ed stared blankly at the papers he spent writing something over and over again. He growled at it. Waiting was such an annoying thing to do. He wondered how Winry took it when she had to wait for him to come back after CROW nearly got his neck. Either that or she was the most patient person he ever met. So much to contrast his own lack of patience.

Furthermore, his mind was just filled with worry. What will happen once Allen wakes up? What if the Earl finds him, and then sends Level 4's into headquarters? Sometimes Ed wished he had the ability to foresee the future, but if that was possible, the war would've ended by now. But… what did Allen lose? From a previous mission long ago, he had recalled what someone said about people who performed Human Transmutation, that in compensation for performing such a heinous act, the person would lose what they treasured the most.

"Then what did he lose…?" Ed gritted his teeth. "Unless it's memory, then that would be ridiculous. What a stupid setback."

He closed the lid of the ink jar and set it aside, getting up from his desk and neatly stacking the papers to put in the corner of the desk. He headed for the door, and opened it, heading for the infirmary immediately. It couldn't hurt to check up on his old friend, if that did any good for his lack of patience.

Ed shut the door behind him, and locked it. For the many times he told himself not to worry about people intruding his office, he was the paranoid type who had to take every single precaution just so no one steals or mixes up his paperwork, or, if the Colonel was that evil, he'd try to sneak into Ed's office and double his paperwork without him knowing. Only if he was actually awake and critical of his surroundings, he'd notice and give his adopted father a very long talk.

When he was younger, he'd be inclined to just stomp into the man's office and attempt to beat him up. Now that the Fullmetal Alchemist was older, he knew better that Roy would only laugh, and Armstrong would be restraining him as soon as he walked past the door with a small twist of a lip. That wouldn't be much good for him or anyone else in the Shield.

The blonde rounded on the corner just to nearly run into someone taller (oh, how that irritated him). He looked up and saw a full deck of glossed pictures of a young brown haired girl beaming at the camera. He had gone through these before, the one with the pet dog, and birthday picture, and the beach visit…

"Hughes…" Ed growled. "I don't have time to oogle at Elysia."

The owner of the photo deck whined and settled down to attempting to convince him to take back his statement. Ed could only turn on his heel and attempt to head back into his office, regretting that he ever walked out of it at all, but Hughes continued to follow him like a lost puppy. Did he even forget to mention that he could almost see the man wagging that imaginary doggy tail?

"But she's so adorable!" Hughes squealed. "You can never resist her!"

"Yeah…" Ed trailed off as he began to grumble about other things. Hughes smile faded as he watched the boy unlock his office door again.

"Sheesh," Hughes sighed, pocketing his family pictures. "You're like Roy on a bad day."

"He's technically the guy I pick things up from," the alchemist shot back. "Don't forget which bastard decided to adopt me and drag me all over the world."

Ed was already inside the office and was ready to close the door shut when he heard a shriek of pain from the man on the other side. He yanked it back open, and saw that Hughes was jumping up and down excitedly, massaging his nearly squashed right hand, his writing hand, so to speak, if Ed wanted to make this sound more tragic.

"Owowowow," the man groaned, and Ed was none too pleased.

"Did you just try to stop me from closing the door?"

The officer looked up with a fierce nod, and Ed sighed exasperatedly before heading back into the office when a pair of hands grabbed him out. He first began kicking and shouting, but he was let go. He was going to move again, but he was blocked entrance to his own office. Instead, he was looking at a pair of glinting glasses that shouted gravity.

"You should loosen up a bit more," Hughes stated. "At least try to spend more time with your brother and Winry."

Ed wrinkled his nose in response, and folded his arms.

"Why should I when I already do?"

Hughes merely shook his head. Did the boy really get what social meant? Well, considering that Alphonse and Winry were technically the only people his age around here usually, he could never admit that Edward had a gang of true friends…

"I meant, having fun," The lieutenant colonel's glasses glinted. "You know, spending time with each other like best friends usually do. There's Lenalee, Lavi, Road, Kanda… Well, you know…"

"Yeah," Ed snorted flatly. "And then get ambushed by Akuma while playing hide and seek at this time of day? I don't think so."

"Come on, Ed," Hughes sighed. "You're stressed. You won't be able to find anything about Allen if you keep going on like this. Try to blow off some steam."

Ed looked at Hughes quietly, evaluating himself. Yes, he hadn't been really giving himself much rest after the discovery of transmutation circles in the chambers, and he didn't really leave his office in days. That, and he couldn't get anything done within that time… He mentally cursed himself for Hughes being right all the time.

"Fine," Ed gave in. "But I'm just going to see them, and that's all."

"That's great!" Hughes flung his arms to the air. "But you know, at least have fun. Just seeing them isn't 'fun.'"

"Oh, really?" Ed challenged the lieutenant colonel. "Then what do you consider 'fun'?"

* * *

"You know, I've never been this interested in tea before," Lenalee smiled at Road who nodded back quietly. They were sitting altogether around a frilly looking table in the front yard, with the flowers well-tended to, as usual. The sun was at a nice angle this time of the day, and there was no wind. Quite decent weather, actually.

The former Noah took a small sip from her teacup before replying. "Well, you know… it's from spending so much time with the Earl, you get to learn quite a lot about it."

"Well, I'm sure you've never heard of this one," Alphonse added, setting his beverage on the table. "It's one of Falman's original ones. You'll never find it elsewhere."

"Really? I guess we should have some more often."

While those three were have a good time chatting amongst themselves, the four boys on the other side of the table weren't as productive. Kanda was calmly eyeing the china cup with indifference, probably preferring something else than a drink of crushed leaves. Neah was unsure whether he should even take the teacup at all. Ed wasn't even paying attention at all, immersing himself in a book, while Lavi, unlike the others was actually drinking the tea, but he didn't find it to be as refreshing as normal water.

"Okay," Neah blinked deftly, glancing pointedly at Ed. "Someone, tell me why we're sitting in the middle of a garden with a bunch of picnic baskets?"

"Because I said so," Ed replied deeply. "Apparently, it's Hughes's idea of 'bonding time.'"

"Yeah," Lavi snorted. "That's when one of us decided to have a tea party."

"How did you agree to this, Edward?" Neah raised an eyebrow disbelievingly at the alchemist. The boy didn't answer him and merely flipped to the next page of the book he read. Lavi craned over from his chair to see what he was reading, and Neah was left without any answer. He looked at Kanda, who hadn't really moved from where he sat, and motioned to the platter of food on the table.

"You know," he offered to the swordsman. "You don't have to drink the tea when there's always cake."

"I'm going off to train," Kanda said bluntly before getting up to leave. Lavi noticed that the Exorcist was going away, and the redhead left the table himself to go shouting after the swordsman, hoping that he would slow down so they could go to the training room together and spar for the rest of the day.

"So, the party plan failed?" Neah looked at Ed, but found an empty chair. Road, Alphonse, and Lenalee were still talking, but they were ignoring the 14th entirely. This prompted him to finally take the cup of tea that he hadn't touched since the beginning. Perhaps he should try it, now that he had the chance to.

"Whoa, this is quite nice, actually, but it's cold…"

* * *

Winry heard a knock on the door to her workshop when she was just done tracing out her blueprints for the next automail model she was planning. She glanced up from her workbench and saw the certain blonde standing at the door. She beamed at his sudden appearance, tearing off the glasses from her face and pushing her chair away hurriedly. The mechanic made her way around the workshop to meet him, but stopped when he motioned to her that he was holding something that shouldn't be broken.

"Ed," She smiled at him. "You're finally out of the office, like Hughes said."

"Yeah, I am," the alchemist nodded, with a sheepish tone in his words. Winry was about to say something more when a silver tray was thrust into her hands. She looked down and saw a cup of tea, untouched and inviting her to drink it. She recognized Armstrong's prized teacups were being used for this, and she looked up at Ed in astonishment, completely addled as to why he gave her such a thing.

"You were busy," he explained. "So I picked it up for you. I didn't want to stay at that 'bonding time' thing. And you probably wanted to go anyways."

"Oh," she said flatly. "Thanks."

She set the tray down on a nearby table and hurried off to the washing basin in her workshop to wash her hands and face. She came back looking a bit more proper, and picked up the teacup with clean hands. The mechanic really didn't want to tarnish such a pretty teacup, especially if it belonged to the Armstrongs (how did they manage to get permission to use these anyways?). She took a small sip of it and recognized the taste. She looked up at Ed in all seriousness, and pointed at what she had just drunk.

"Is this Falman's?"

"Hughes gave it to us," Ed threw in an excuse, knowing full well he had suggested it himself, but Winry went back to drinking the rest of it. When she was done, she set the cup back on the tray and realized that Ed was still standing there. She took this as a good chance to return the tray to Ed. Head bowed, she looked away from Edward and back to her workbench. Fabrication of the next automail update was still ways away, but she couldn't fall behind. After spending so much time attempting to finish the automail fingers for another Exorcist, she had almost forgotten the crucial planning she needed to ensure Ed had the best automail she could give him.

"Sorry I couldn't join them," she said quietly, but Ed shook his head, and placed a hand on her shoulder to say it was nothing. She noticed that his gloves were exposed, and a small bit of his automail arm was peeking out, and she could clearly see the wear on the metal. Usually she would be bashing him upside the head for just making a mark on it, but it was understandable how he got it, and she herself was too tired to go wasting tirades on the alchemist.

"Well, thanks." She said finally and she slinked back to confines of her workshop. She turned round on the way, and saw the young man shrug while trying to peer over the mountain of metal scraps that would soon become his new automail arm and leg.

"Don't mention it," he said. "I saw the blueprint you were working on. Care to show me more of it?"

Although Ed probably wouldn't want to hear any more of her technical jargon, she beamed up like a lantern and began to sputter out information that could send her flying.

"O-of course!"

* * *

Komui paced the wards, carefully inspecting the patients in and about the hospital section of the Shield. The Chief Officer of the Black Order was supposed to know the status of his own men, and he was only trying to be useful now that he was here and Roy was pretty much doing whatever he was supposed to be doing.

The blue haired man passed by a certain ward and stopped, and he leaned backwards to look through the ward more closely. The lone figure lay unmoving on the sheets and hadn't really changed his position since the day he was recovered from the castle. Allen was looking much better now, with most of the bandages removed and everyone could see his face much more clearly than ever before at a distance. He was starting to recognize the childlike face everyone at the Order used to adore.

"Still asleep," Komui whispered to himself, with a faint dissatisfaction in his voice. Just as much as anyone else, he strongly wished Allen would stop making people worry so much, and everyone's hairs would stop going as white as his. But Allen was Allen. He had always been prone to trouble ever since he was taken in as Cross's apprentice.

He was about to leave when he heard the rustling of sheets, and he froze when he heard a low sound, a sound that came from a person's lips.

A moan… What was that…?

Komui darted back into the hospital ward, eyes searching for that moan coming from the room. He had heard that voice. It was so familiar, like he hadn't heard it for years… Where are you?

A stirring of the patient under the sheets caught his eyes, and he walked in slowly, hoping the Matron or Alphonse didn't see him, and he peered over the covers. A white haired boy opened his hazy eyes slowly, seeing familiar purple irises, which focused into the shape of a blue haired man in a white coat, decorated with golden chains.

"Allen?" The man asked.

The silver eyes scanned the room seeing bright white walls that blinded his vision. He moved his mouth speak, but nothing came out, leave him thoroughly surprised. His head felt groggy and he wasn't sure on how he would recover from this, whatever he's feeling right now.

"Those people back there did quite a number on you," the man explained, reaching out to stroke the boy's hair. "You won't be speaking for a while, Allen."

Allen was confused. Was this man… crying…? It must be some reunion, like he's met this person before… Why, yes, he looked so familiar… But his name… Stupid sore throat, Allen cursed.

The man left immediately, and was shouting outside.

"Everyone! He's awake!" Allen heard the voices gasp and cheer, and he heard many footsteps filing into the room. He saw the man return, with a redhead with a green headband, a man with overly long blue hair (for some reason, he could tell he didn't like the man). Then a black haired man with cobalt eyes came in along with a woman with a pinned up hairdo. Next were a man with a funny mustache, and rather bizarre eyes, and a man with blonde braided hair, and two dots on his forehead. Finally, a boy with a blonde ponytail and golden eyes strolled in, clearly not happy with what was happening.

Allen wanted to shrink back into his sheet to avoid the intense glare of the boy, until the furrowed eyes slackened, and a tight grin reversed the grimace.

"Welcome back, Allen," He said. Allen… that was his name?

He heard the rush of footsteps, and he saw four people rushing into the room. Another blonde boy, two people with gray hair and pale skin, and a girl with dark green hair tied into two pigtails. The last girl was utterly shocked at who was sitting wide awake in the room, and she ran over and hugged him.

"Allen!" She cried, and a puzzled Allen hugged back awkwardly, noticing that she was streaming tears, which prompted him to do the same.

"Lena… Lee…?" He croaked, earning the surprise from the blonde with the grim face.

"Look!" The redhead laughed, his single eye twinkling. "He remembers Lenalee!"

He then noticed the tallest dark-haired person with pale skin, and golden eyes.

"N…Neah…" He muttered, and the man smiled in response. Allen then turned to the rest of the crew, with a confused expression. Their faces were still smiling, happy that he was returned to them.

* * *

**A/N:** _Sorry… cheesy chapter name… Well, something just to alert people that this story isn't really dead, but just put on hold for a while. But thank you for being encouraging, and such, and I'm happy to say that I will be motivated to update this to the very end, once I find the space for it (glares menacingly at my clearly booked schedule, which includes sleep). Also, I'm seemingly going around in circles without much progress in this chapter (too much fluff and teacups…)_

_And yes, I'm aware I'm probably constantly switching up military positions for each person like effin' crazy (I'm in need of a beta to just go over this entire story and edit all the mistakes in there, btw). I really wanted to start picking up my habit of putting meat into my chapters for this story like I have been doing for my more recently updated stories, but time persists, and I couldn't... T_T_

_Sadly, and shamefully, I've figured out the end (of course), but I can't seem to fill the middle yet, including that nagging thing about what poor Allen lost from Human Transmutation (I figured it'd be voice, but then I thought up of something that would make that useless XO)… I think I depend on my readers far too much than I should…._

_Also, Merry Christmas, everyone. And my update is my present to all of you out there, and Allen finally opening his eyes for a moment (just a moment, but it counts)._


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